Rochester Man Pleads Guilty to Bank Robbery

ROCHESTER, N.Y.--U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Raul Abidel Martinez, 34, of Rochester, NY, pleaded guilty to bank robbery before U.S. District Court Judge Frank P. Geraci. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig R. Gestring, who is handling the case, stated that on August 23, 2011, Martinez walked into the M&T Bank on Lyell Avenue in Rochester and handed the teller a note demanding money. Among other things, the note claimed that the defendant had an AK-47. The teller gave Martinez some money and a dye pack which activated as soon as the defendant left the bank causing him to flee down Lyell Ave covered in red dye. Martinez was apprehended shortly thereafter by Rochester Police officers who responded to the silent alarm activation at the bank. Rochester Police enlisted the investigative assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. At the time he robbed the M&T Bank, the defendant was on federal supervised release following a 2007 conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The guilty plea is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Officers of the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Ciminelli and Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation