A brazen crew of South American financial institution bandits disguised themselves as development staff and used blowtorches, cellphone jammers and different “subtle ways” to grab no less than $4 million in a string of untamed West Coast heists, in accordance with federal authorities who busted them.
The group of 11 thieves — most of whom hail from Chile — hit no less than 29 banks and credit score unions in California, Oregon and Washington between Could and October, in accordance with federal prosecutors.
The alleged ringleader, Alex Moyano Morales, 24, is needed by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement however there aren’t any information of officers encountering him on the border — that means he may have slipped into the US as a “gotaway” or via a authorized immigration program, in accordance with federal legislation enforcement sources.
In a scheme match for a Hollywood screenplay, the financial institution heist crew allegedly sawed via the wall of a pet store, smashed into financial institution vaults with sledgehammers and rented getaway automobiles on the black market, US Lawyer Phillip A. Talbert mentioned Thursday.
They spent days scouting the banks and close by companies, used cellphone sign jammers to disable wi-fi safety gadgets and rented Airbnbs close by to drag off the heists, prosecutors mentioned.
Throughout a few of the scouting missions, the bandits wore medical-style face masks together with onerous hats and yellow development vests, prosecutors mentioned.
In a heist on Sept. 18, the crooks allegedly reduce via the wall of a pet spa in Fresno, Calif., and climbed right into a Wells Fargo earlier than busting open an ATM vault and swiping $247,000, in accordance with prosecutors.
Earlier than the break-in, one of many suspects was captured in surveillance footage distracting a store worker whereas an confederate in a tough hat examined the sturdiness of a wall, prosecutors mentioned.
In one other incident on Sept. 28, the thieves allegedly used blowtorches and saws to bust into Tri Counties Financial institution and its vaults in Fall River Mills, Calif. — however had been interrupted and fled, abandoning their energy instruments.
The crew pulled comparable financial institution robberies — or tried robberies — in additional than two dozen different instances, together with within the Los Angeles space and components of western Washington state, prosecutors mentioned.
The bandits had been arrested final week thanks partially to an Apple AirTag monitoring system that was unwittingly left in a Chevrolet Suburban rented by Morales, the Los Angeles Occasions reported.
In September, a driver unrelated to the robberies was pulled over within the automobile by police, who later discovered Morales had beforehand rented it.
Morales had no clue the automobile was geared up with the monitoring system — which revealed that the car’s location historical past was linked to the robberies, the outlet reported.
Investigators discovered theft instruments, disguises, pretend identification paperwork and greater than $100,000 in money at a number of short-term rental properties in Oregon and Washington, in accordance with prosecutors.
Different alleged crew members arrested in connection to the financial institution robberies embody:
- Maite Celis Silva, 26, of Chile
- Erik Osorio Olivarez, 20, of Chile
- Pablo Valdez Rodriguez, 36, of Chile
- 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
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