Martha's Vineyard Man Pleads Guilty in Boston to Violent Falmouth Bank Robbery

On October 12th, 2023, Edgartown resident Petar Petyoshin, 40, pled guilty to committing an armed robbery at a Falmouth bank in April that year, as declared by the Department of Justice. The case's resolution was realized by remarkable collaboration between law enforcement agencies and detailed investigative work.

Meticulous detective work led to Petyoshin's arrest in May 2023. The Department of Justice reported that on April 8, 2023, Petyoshin marched into the Rockland Trust Bank in Falmouth. He brandished a firearm and claimed a potential bomb on the teller counter, proceeding to restrain the bank's occupants. He escaped with over $20,000 in cash using a bank customer's vehicle and boarded a ferry to Martha's Vineyard.

On May 23, authorities arrested Petyoshin on charges related to the robbery. Further inspection of his home in Edgartown, Mass led to the discovery of various pieces of substantial evidence, including clothes appearing on the surveillance footage and money in Rockland Trust bands. A worrying number of firearms and large amounts of ammunition were also confiscated.

Authorities pinpointed Petyoshin through his Facebook page of his clothing store, Dapper Martha's Vineyard. This carried images of identical clothing worn during the robbery – notably the jacket, sunglasses, and wig. Notably, this same jacket was discovered in his locker at his workplace, Oak Bluff Water Department, bolstering the case against him.

Petyoshin is now staring at a potential sentence up to 25 years of imprisonment and a possible fine of $250,000. On top of that, upon release, he could be restricted into up to five years of supervised detention. U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley will make her decision clear on his sentencing date of January 24, 2024.