There is a group of illegal immigrants from South America who were charged by a federal grand jury with robbing banks across multiple states of more than $4 million in cash using “sophisticated tactics” such as construction crew masks, blowtorches, and cellphone jammers.
U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert said that the group, which was mostly made up of Chileans, went after more than 29 banks and credit unions in California, Oregon, and Washington from May to October.
Court papers say the group made a list of ATMs in “vulnerable locations.” They then rented short-term vacation homes nearby and used cars they bought on the “black market.”
Nine of the 11 people charged were caught last week, and two more were arrested in Washington on October 30.
Prosecutors say that in one case, the thieves looked at a business in Modesto, California, that was next to a Wells Fargo. They then broke in at night and cut a hole in the wall to get to the ATMs.
The police shared pictures of the people they say robbed the bank while dressed as construction workers with hard hats, surgical masks, and high-visibility vests.
Prosecutors say the thieves also broke into a bank in Fall River Mills, California. They are said to have used saws, blowtorches, and other power tools to get into the bank and its vaults. The people who were thought to be thieves were stopped and ran off, leaving some of their tools behind.
Police said they found more than $100,000 in cash, disguises, fake IDs, and hundreds of pounds of theft tools at several short-term rental homes in Oregon and Washington.
The illegal refugees were called by Talbert:
Talbert also said that all of the suspects are charged with planning to rob a bank, and Moyano, Celis, Osorio, Valdez, Bastias, Sepulveda, Lagos, and Jimenez are also charged with robbing a bank.
According to court papers, the defendants went after banks and ATMs in Fresno, Auburn, Merced, Clovis, Modesto, Roseville, Rocklin, Yuba City, and Fall River Mills, among other cities in the Eastern District of California. Also on their list were banks and ATMs in Oregon, Washington, and the Los Angeles area.
Talbert said that if the suspects are found guilty, they could spend up to 20 years in prison for bank robbery and five years in prison for planning to rob a bank.
