Bank Robbers Sentenced to 25, 18 Years in Federal Prison
Each Committed Robberies in Multiple States
| U.S. Attorney’s Office June 05, 2012 |
PHOENIX—On June 4, 2012, Pedro Isaac Martinez, 31, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Susan R. Bolton. Martinez had previously pleaded guilty to indictments out of Arizona and Nevada that charged him with armed bank robbery, use of a firearm during a crime of violence, and interference with commerce by violence. Martinez was also ordered to pay $19,045 in restitution.
According to court documents, from September 2010 through January 2011, Martinez committed seven bank robberies in Arizona and Nevada. Martinez used a handgun in each of those robberies and discharged the firearm during two of the robberies. In one of those instances, Martinez fired at the ballistic glass that protected the teller line. The round ricocheted off of the ballistic glass and struck a customer in the hand.
On May 15, 2012, Ronald Michael Capito, 53, of Show Low, Arizona, was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Neil V. Wake. He was also ordered to pay $74,249 in restitution. Capito had previously pleaded guilty to indictments out of Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico that charged him with armed bank robbery and use of a firearm during a crime of violence.
According to court documents, from September 2009 to February 2010, Capito was the getaway driver in 16 armed bank robberies in Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. Capito traveled from his home in Show Low to the areas in those four states where the robberies were committed. For the first eight robberies, Capito and his co-defendant made their getaway from the banks on an ATV. Capito and his co-defendant were known as the “High Country Bandits.”
The investigation in both cases was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and its Bank Robbery Task Force. The Bank Robbery Task Force is a partnership of the FBI, the Phoenix Police Department, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, the Mesa Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office and whose focus is to investigate and apprehend bank robbers in the Phoenix metropolitan area. In addition, local police departments in Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico participated in both investigations. More information on the Bank Robbery Task Force can be found at www.bandittrackerarizona.com.
The prosecution of Martinez was handled by Alison Bachus, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix. The prosecution of Capito was handled by Cassie Woo and Alison Bachus, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Phoenix.