Martha's Vineyard bank robbers tried to burn masks, walkie-talkies used, prosecutors say
BOSTON -- Prosecutors have revealed new details about an armed bank robbery that occurred on Martha's Vineyard last month. Two suspects now face federal charges.
Miquel Antonio Jones, 39, of Edgartown, and Omar Odion Johnson, 32 of Canterbury, N.H., were both charged with one count of armed bank robbery.
According to prosecutors, on November 17, three robbers, wearing masks and carrying semi-automatic handguns, and walkie-talkies, walked into the Rockland Trust bank.
One of the suspects held a bank employee at gunpoint, forcing them to unlock the vault. They took about $39,100 in cash, prosecutors said, before tying employees up and taking off in one employee's car.
During their search, police said they found paperwork reflecting a money transfer to Jamaica and large deposits into other bank accounts. Officers also searched a Tisbury farm and found paper money, zip ties, as well as burned debris that is believed to be the masks and walkie-talkies used during the robbery.
A further search found two semi-automatic guns buried inches under the ground.
Jones and Johnson are both already in state custody. They will appear in a Boston federal court at a later date.
The charge of armed bank robbery provides for a sentence of up to 25 years in prison, five years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.
