Matthew Martin
Matthew T Martin robbed over $25,000 from six banks, armed only with a BB gun Vermont State Police

A man who carried out six bank robberies with a BB gun has been jailed for 15 years.

Matthew T Martin, 32, of Weathersfield in Vermont, carried out the armed robberies over a 12-month spell in 2015. As well as the banks, his targets included a pharmacy and a petrol station.

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On each occasion he entered the premises armed with the fake gun, and threatened staff to give him money before making away with thousands of dollars.

He stole over $25,000 (£19,882) in total before US authorities placed him on a "Fugitive of the Week" list, which was circulated in December 2015 and Martin handed himself in.

After pleading guilty to the eight offences, Martin was sentenced to 180 months, to run concurrently, for each crime in Brattleboro District Court on 31 January.

Martin's spate of robberies involved:

  • On 28 January 2015, he robbed a branch of the Windsor County South Credit Union in Springfield, Vermont. During this robbery, he told the teller that he had a gun, although he did not display one, and stole $2,596.
  • On 7 February 2015, he robbed a Shell petrol station in Ludlow, Vermont. During this robbery, he pointed a gun at the petrol station clerk and made off with approximately $200.
  • On 17 February 2015, he robbed a branch of the Citizens Bank in Springfield, Vermont. He wore a fake beard to disguise his identity and managed to steal $5,744.
  • On 11 November 2015, he robbed the Greater Falls Pharmacy in Bellows Falls, Vermont, where he also pocketed tablets containing Oxycodone and OxyContin.
  • On 1 December 2015, he took his crime spree into New Hampshire, committing an armed robbery of a branch of the Mascoma Savings Bank in Charlestown and stealing $4,700.
  • On 4 December 2015, he robbed a branch of the TD Bank North in Loudon, New Hampshire and made off with $3,200.
  • On 14 December 2015, disguised as a woman, he robbed a branch of the People's United Bank in Brattleboro, Vermont. Ordering the teller to give him all of the money in the cash drawer, he brandished a BB gun and showed the teller a clay "glob" that he claimed was a bomb. He made off with $3,791.
  • On 21 December 2015, Martin robbed a branch of the Heritage Family Credit Union in Ludlow, Vermont, making off with $4,633.