Total compensation for private sector workers in the Boston-Worcester-Providence area increased by 3.1 percent for the 12-month period that ended in December 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
That means real wages declined again last year, since, according to the White House, the country endured a 3.4 percent inflation rate in that same stretch.
An Edgartown man was sentenced to 8 1/2 years in prison after pleading guilty to robbing a bank in Falmouth last spring.
Petar Petyoshin, 40, zip-tied both bank employees and customers, brandished a firearm, and placed a fake bomb on the counter before making a getaway in a bank customer's vehicle, according to federal prosecutors. He wore a coronavirus-era mask during the robbery, according to a photo obtained by NewBostonPost. Also, the man is a Bulgarian immigrant, according to TB Daily News.
U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley sentenced the Petyoshin to 102 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release.
On April 8, 2023, Petyoshin traveled from Martha's Vineyard to Falmouth via a Steamship Authority ferry.
At around 8:58 a.m., he entered the Rockland Trust Bank and committed the robbery. He coerced two tellers into putting more than $20,000 in cash into a brown bag. The robber also stole a customer's car keys and fled using the vehicle. He then returned to Martha's Vineyard in the early afternoon via the ferry.
On May 23, 2023, Petyoshin was arrested for his heist. A search of his home in Edgartown found evidence that he committed the crime, including thousands of dollars in cash bundled with Rockland Trust money bands, zip ties, and clothing that matched that of the robber on the surveillance footage, according to prosecutors.
After the bank robbery (and before the arrest), Petyoshin made a cash down payment on a lease for a new Mercedes-Benz, according to the press release.
