The Edgartown man who feds say stole roughly $21,000 from a Falmouth bank at gunpoint in April has been charged with one count of armed bank robbery.
Petar Petyoshin, a 40-year-old father of three, had been arrested on state charges of armed and masked robbery with a firearm, bomb/hijack threat, larceny over $1,200, carjacking, and seven counts of kidnapping. He was taken into custody by State Police at the Martha’s Vineyard Registry of Motor Vehicles on May 23.
He has since remained in state custody in Barnstable County.
The charge of armed bank robbery carries a sentence up to 25 years in prison, up to five years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
Charging documents allege that while wearing a wig and surgical mask, Petyoshin entered the Rockland Trust Bank in Falmouth on April 8, placed an alleged bomb on the teller counter, and brandished a pistol before forcing bank employees and customers to zip-tie one another’s hands together.
According to police and witness statements, Petyoshin proceeded to demand employees to place more than $20,000 into a Walmart bag. He allegedly fled the scene in a customer’s car.
Investigators later identified Petyoshin and his vehicle through witness descriptions and video surveillance from nearby businesses, including the Steamship Authority, before and after the robbery.
It was revealed at the time of his arrest that Petyoshin had been under surveillance by the Massachusetts State Police (MSP) Special Investigations Unit–FBI Violent Crimes Task Force since as early as May 1.
A search of his Edgartown home resulted in the recovery of thousands of dollars in cash bundled together in Rockland Trust money bands, zip-ties, and clothing items that matched what the robbery suspect was wearing on surveillance footage before and after the robbery. Investigators seized 57 firearms and a “large quantity of ammunition” from his home, Wednesday’s statement from the office of the district attorney says.
Additionally, a jacket worn by the suspect of the armed robbery was recovered during a search of Petyoshin’s personal locker at the Oak Bluffs Water Department, where he is employed.
Charging documents say a social media page for Petyoshin’s family-owned clothing store in Oak Bluffs, Dapper Martha’s Vineyard, displayed photos of clothing, including the same jacket, sunglasses, and wig worn by the bank robber.
The federal charge was announced Wednesday by acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy; John E. Mawn Jr., interim colonel of the Massachusetts State Police; and Christopher DiMenna, acting special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division.
Assistance in the investigation was provided by the Falmouth and Edgartown Police Departments, Barnstable County Sheriff’s Department, and the Cape & Islands District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
Petyoshin is set to appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.
