RINGLEADER IN MARTHA’S VINEYARD BANK JOB GETS 10 YEARS FEDERAL PRISON

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – [DOJ MEDIA STATEMENT/NO BOOKING PHOTO] – An Edgartown, Mass. man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for arranging the November 2022 armed bank robbery of a Martha’s Vineyard bank. Miquel Antonio Jones, 33, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. In March 2023, Jones was indicted by a federal grand jury, and additional charges were brought in a superseding indictment in April 2023. Jones conspired with co-defendants Omar Odion Johnson, of Canterbury, N.H., Romane Andre Clayton, of Jamaica, and Tevin Porter, of Bridgeport, Conn., to commit the Nov. 17, 2022 armed robbery of the Rockland Trust bank branch in Vineyard Haven. As the only member of the crew from Martha’s Vineyard, Jones led the robbery conspiracy. Specifically, Jones identified the bank they would be robbing, obtained and provided all the necessary items for the robbery to his co-conspirators – including dark-colored clothing, plastic masks that resembled an elderly man with exaggerated facial features, zip ties and duct tape – and chose which bank to rob and when. Jones also paid Johnson to bring a gun. On Nov. 16, 2022, Jones met Johnson and Clayton in Martha’s Vineyard and provided them with details of his plan before driving himself and his co-conspirators to the Rockland Trust bank in Vineyard Haven, where he assured them he had obtained information about the bank and its security. The defendants then slept at Jones’ residence in Edgartown the night before they committed the robbery. On the morning of Nov. 17, 2022, Jones drove the group to the bank. After arriving, Jones, Johnson and Porter hid in bushes near the rear of the bank while Clayton drove to a nearby state forest to park the car, before bicycling back to the bank. As the bank’s three employees arrived that morning, Jones, Johnson and Porter – wearing the plastic masks and displaying two handguns – approached them and forced their way through the rear door. Once inside the bank, one of the individuals held a gun to the head of one of the bank employees, forced the employee to open the bank’s vault and took approximately $39,100. The bank employees were bound with duct tape and plastic zip ties while their belongings were searched and the robbers demanded access to one of their vehicles. Jones, Porter, and Johnson then left the bank in an employee’s car, picked up Clayton outside the bank, and drove to the Manuel Correllus State Forest, where they abandoned the vehicle in a parking lot. They then fled in another vehicle that Clayton had left there for purposes of their escape. Later that morning, Porter and Clayton left Martha’s Vineyard together on a ferry. Meanwhile, Jones and Johnson drove to a local farm associated with Jones’s landscaping job to dispose of the equipment that had been used during the bank robbery. At the farm, they buried the two firearms used in the robbery in a hole in the ground and burned the remainder of the robbery equipment, including the plastic masks. After the evidence was disposed of, Jones returned home to his residence where he hid the approximately $39,100 that had been stolen from the bank, in his bedroom under a bureau. Johnson left Martha’s Vineyard, reconvened with Porter and Clayton in Woods Hole, and then drove them to the area of Johnson’s home in New Hampshire. “Protecting the people of Massachusetts from criminal conduct comes in many forms, and this case highlights some of the most old-fashioned, blatant and terrifying criminal behavior we face: armed bank robbery. Miquel Antonio Jones orchestrated and led a calculated and violent robbery that terrorized bank employees and the surrounding community. His conduct left lasting emotional scars, and today, he is paying a significant price for his actions,” said United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy “This decade-long sentence sends a clear message: such violent and calculated crimes have no place in our communities. We will not tolerate those who threaten the safety of others, and we will continue to pursue justice to ensure Massachusetts remains a safe place for all who live and work here.” “This was a bold and brazen armed robbery carried out on a picturesque island at the start of the day. 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,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “It’s incredibly fortunate no one was hurt before the armed robbers opted to flee. Today’s sentence makes it clear that bank robbery is not an easy payday, it’s a federal crime, and the FBI and our partners will ensure perpetrators like Jones are held fully accountable.” Clayton, Johnson and Porter have each pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy and are scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 8, 2025, Jan. 9, 2025 and Jan. 28, 2025, respectively. U.S. Attorney Levy and FBI SAC Cohen made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Cape & Islands District Attorney’s Office; the Massachusetts State Police; the Tisbury, West Tisbury, Edgartown, Chilmark, Oak Bluffs, Aquinnah, Canterbury (N.H.) and New Haven (Conn.) Police Departments; the United States Postal Inspection Service; the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and United States Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan C. Cleary of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case. 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