An Edgartown man who officials say was the ringleader behind the armed robbery of a Vineyard Haven bank in 2022 was sentenced to 10 years in prison this week.
Miquel Jones, 33, previously pleaded guilty to armed robbery and other charges connected to the case. In U.S. District Court in Boston Wednesday, he was sentenced by Judge William Young.
Prosecutors say Mr. Jones robbed the Rockland Trust bank on Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road in November 2022, with the help of Omar Johnson, Romane Clayton and Tevin Porter.
Mr. Jones was the lone member of the crew who resided on the Vineyard, and he identified the bank and obtained the dark-clothing, elderly-man masks and zip ties and duct tape used in the robbery, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
On Nov. 17, Mr. Jones drove the group to the bank, and entered with Mr. Johnson and Mr. Porter. The trio brandished a pair of handguns and once inside, forced a bank employee to open the vault at gunpoint.
The robbers bound the bank employees’ hands, stole a bank employee’s car and made off with $39,100.
Mr. Jones, Mr. Porter and Mr. Johnson picked up Mr. Clayton outside the bank and drove to the state forest, where they abandoned the vehicle, and got into another vehicle that Mr. Clayton had left for their escape, according to the Department of Justice.
Mr. Jones allegedly then went to an Island farm, buried the handguns and burned the plastic masks. After that, he hid the cash under a bureau in his bedroom.
“The ringleader of this robbery crew, Miquel Antonio Jones, showed up armed with loaded firearms, zip ties, duct tape, and plastic masks and forced employees into the bank at gunpoint, making them fear for their lives,” FBI special agent Jodi Cohen said in a statement. “It’s incredibly fortunate no one was hurt before the armed robbers opted to flee.”
The three other men are expected to be sentenced in January.
After his sentence is served, Mr. Jones is supposed to be under supervised release for three years.
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