Bean Town Times

A Connecticut man pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to his involvement in a Martha’s Vineyard bank robbery. Romane Andre Clayton, 22, of New Haven, Conn., admitted to one count of aiding and abetting bank robbery. U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young has scheduled the sentencing for December 18, 2024.

Clayton was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2023 and charged in a superseding indictment in April 2023. According to court documents, Clayton met Omar Johnson, Tevin Porter, and Miquel Jones on November 16, 2022, to plan the robbery of Rockland Trust Bank in Tisbury.

Jones identified the target bank and provided dark-colored clothing and plastic masks resembling an elderly man with exaggerated facial features. On November 17, 2022, the group drove to the vicinity of the bank. Porter, Jones, and Johnson hid near the rear of the bank while Clayton parked their car at Manuel Correllus State Forest and then returned on a bicycle to serve as a lookout during the heist.

As employees arrived to open the bank, Porter, Jones, and Johnson forced their way inside armed with two semi-automatic handguns while wearing masks and dark clothing. They held a gun to an employee's head and coerced them into opening the vault from which they stole approximately $39,100. The employees were bound with duct tape and plastic zip ties as their belongings were searched.

The robbers fled using an employee’s car before switching vehicles at Manuel Correllus State Forest where Clayton had left another car for their escape. Porter and Clayton departed Martha’s Vineyard on a ferry later that morning while Johnson and Jones disposed of evidence at a local farm associated with Jones's landscaping job.

The stolen money was hidden under a bureau in Jones's bedroom after he returned home. Johnson later reconvened with Porter and Clayton in Woods Hole before driving them to New Hampshire.

Jones, Johnson, and Porter have all pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.

The charge carries up to 20 years imprisonment along with three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are determined by federal district court judges based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy along with Jodi Cohen from the FBI Boston Division made this announcement today. Assistance came from various law enforcement agencies including Cape & Islands District Attorney’s Office; Massachusetts State Police; police departments from Tisbury among others; U.S Postal Inspection Service; ATF; ICE; CBP; among others. Assistant U.S Attorney Meghan C Cleary is prosecuting this case.