West Virginia Woman Pleads Guilty to Three-State Bank Robberies

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – The grimy halls of justice echo with the conviction of Christine Joy Martin, 31, a Davisville, West Virginia woman, for bank robberies spanning three states. Acting United States Attorney Betsy Steinfeld Jividen has announced the plea deal.

Martin, charged in a six-count information filed April 5, 2017, has admitted to three counts of ‘Unarmed Bank Robbery.’ Her spree began on November 4, 2016, when she robbed Huntington Bank in Marion County, West Virginia, of $2,000. Martin’s criminal trail continued with a daring heist from WesBanco Bank in Washington County, Pennsylvania, where she made off with $350.00 on December 23, 2016. Her final act was the Christmas season theft from People’s Bank in Athens County, Ohio, amounting to $2,150 on December 27, 2016.

With venue waived for Ohio and Pennsylvania charges, Martin now faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 per count. The Federal Sentencing Guidelines will determine the actual sentence based on the severity of her offenses and any prior criminal history.

The Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah W. Montoro prosecuted the case for the government. Local law enforcement agencies, including the Morgantown Police Department in West Virginia, the Fairmont Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and South Strabane Township Police Department in Pennsylvania, alongside the Athens City Police Department in Ohio, all played pivotal roles in the investigation.

U. S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi oversaw the proceeding. Martin’s fate now lies in the hands of the court, as she awaits a sentence that will likely reshape her future.

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