Three men indicted in last year's armed bank robbery on Martha's Vineyard now face new charges, and a fourth suspect has also been indicted.
According to U.S. Attorney Rachael S. Rollins, Miquel Antonio Jones, 31, of Edgartown, Mass. and Tevin Porter, 27 of Bridgeport, Conn., were charged in a superseding indictment with one count each of conspiracy to commit armed bank robbery, and one count of armed bank robbery and aiding and abetting. Romane Andre Clayton, 21, of Jamaica, was also charged in the superseding indictment with one count of bank robbery and aiding and abetting. An alleged co-conspirator, Omar Johnson, was previously indicted.
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The Rockland Trust Bank in Tisbury, Massachusetts, was robbed at gunpoint on Nov. 17, 2022. The robbery set off a manhunt in the area as law enforcement combed the island for clues.
Prosecutors allege that three of the suspects - Porter, Jones and Johnson - forced their way through the rear door of the bank, armed with at least two semi-automatic handguns. One of the suspects held a gun a bank employee's head and had the employee open the vault. The suspects made off with $39,100.
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The employees were reportedly bound with duct tape and zip ties during the robbery as the suspects rifled through their belongings.
Prosecutors further allege that the suspects escaped in a car stolen from one of the bank employees, then abandoned it at Manual Correllus State Forest. They drove away in another vehicle that they had parked for the purpose of escape, prosecutors say.
It is alleged that Porter met up with Clayton and the pair left Martha's Vineyard on a ferry later that day, while Jones and Johnson got rid of the evidence, including the guns and plastic masks they were wearing during the crime. These were eventually found burned in a hole at a local farm where Jones worked.
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After, prosecutors say, Jones went back to his home and hid the stolen money, later meeting up with Porter and Clayton, and driving to the area of Johnson's New Hampshire home.
On Nov. 19, Jones was arrested on state charges of accessory after the fact and later charged with the robbery. Johnson was arrested a few days later in New Haven, Connecticut.
According to court paperwork, police found several $100 bills in Jones' car, as well as dark clothing that matches what the suspects were wearing during the robbery. Investigators also say at Johnson's home they found a black handgun, and paperwork noting cash deposits of $4,100 to a Connecticut bank, as well as a $700 transfer to Jamaica.
The charge of armed bank robbery provides for a sentence of up to 25 years in prison. The charge of conspiracy to commit armed bank robbery provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison. The charge of bank robbery provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
Jones and Clayton will be scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston at a later date. Porter appeared in Connecticut Wednesday and was detained pending a hearing tomorrow.
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