St. Thomas Man Sentenced to Twelve Years in Federal Prison in Connection with Bank Robbery and Shooting

St. Thomas, USVI – United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert for the District of the Virgin Islands announced today that Melik Petersen was sentenced to 12 years in prison for assault with the intent to commit robbery.

According to court documents filed in the case, on the morning of September 11, 2019, Ranger American Armored Services guards were attempting to pick up $951,000 from a Scotia Bank branch in the Altona area St. Thomas. Petersen and another unidentified individual, both armed, attempted to rob the guards of the money and a gunfight ensued, during which one of the guards suffered a bullet wound in his leg. The two assailants and the getaway driver then fled the scene after failing to steal the money.

This case was investigated by the Virgin Islands Police Department, and it was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Adam Sleeper and Nathan Brooks.