As per FBI findings, a collective of illegal immigrants engaged blowtorches, cell phone signal jammers, and disguises in their scheme to rob banks in numerous states.
Federal prosecutors have reported that a federal grand jury has indicted a group of undocumented immigrants from South America for allegedly using "sophisticated tactics," such as disguises as construction workers, blowtorches, and cell phone jammers, to rob banks in several states, accumulating more than $4 million in stolen cash.
It was announced by U.S. Attorney Philip A. Talbert that a gang, primarily comprised of Chilean nationals, aimed at more than 29 banks and credit unions in the states of California, Oregon, and Washington from May through October.
The court documents indicate that the gang strategically placed ATMs in "vulnerable locations" and rented short-term vacation homes in close proximity, utilizing cars that were rented through the "black market."
It was stated by authorities that nine of the eleven people charged were arrested during the previous week, and two additional arrests occurred in Washington on October 30.
In a specific incident, it was reported by prosecutors that the suspects scouted a business adjacent to a Wells Fargo in Modesto, California, broke in overnight, and made a hole in the wall to access the bank's ATM.
Authorities have published photographs of the suspected bank robbers, who were dressed in construction worker attire, including hard hats, medical masks, and high-visibility safety vests.
In a further incident, prosecutors stated that a bank in Fall River Mills, California, was targeted by robbers. It is claimed that they employed blowtorches, saws, and various power tools to access the bank and its internal vault. The robbers fled the scene after being intercepted, abandoning some of their tools.
Law enforcement stated that they found a large cache of robbery tools, disguises, fake IDs, and over $100,000 in cash at various short-term rental properties situated in Oregon and Washington.
Talbert named the illegal immigrants as:
- Alex Moyano Morales, 24, of Chile
- Maite Celis Silva, 26, of Chile
- Erik Osorio Olivarez, 20, of Chile
- Pablo Valdez Rodriguez, 36, a Chilean national
- Rosa Bastias Serra, 42, of Chile
- Camilo Sepulveda Guzman, 31, of Peru
- Bassil Dacosta Frias, 34, of Venezuela
- Camilo Alarcon Alarcon, 23, of Chile
- Michelle Parada Munoz, 21, of Chile
- Alvaro Lagos Mieres, 44, of Chile
- Humberto Jimenez Moreno, 45, of Chile
It was noted by Talbert that each defendant is charged with conspiracy to commit bank robbery, with Moyano, Celis, Osorio, Valdez, Bastias, Sepulveda, Lagos, and Jimenez facing further charges of bank robbery.
As stated in court documents, the defendants directed their activities towards banks and ATMs within the Eastern District of California, covering areas such as Fresno, Auburn, Merced, Clovis, Modesto, Roseville, Rocklin, Yuba City, and Fall River Mills. Their targeting also extended to banks and ATMs in Oregon, Washington state, and the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
Upon conviction, the defendants could be sentenced to the maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison for the bank robbery charge, along with a five-year term for the conspiracy to commit bank robbery.
