NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.–A man has been charged with bank robbery and conspiracy to commit bank robbery in connection with a $4 million theft scheme involving ATMs owned by credit unions and banks, federal prosecutors said.
Diego Ananias Arellano Diaz, who also goes by the name Fabio Cristian Hernandez, was arrested in Newport Beach on suspicion of participating in a conspiracy to break into and steal money from financial institutions across California, Oregon and Washington from May to October of last year, according to Alayip Graziers, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.
Arellano faces maximum statutory penalties of 20 years in prison for the bank robbery and five years in prison for the conspiracy charges if convicted, prosecutors said. He remains in state custody and will appear in federal court after state proceedings, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Crew Rented Short-Term Properties
According to prosecutors, Arellano was part of a crew that rented short-term vacation properties near their intended targets and used cars rented on the black market.
“The crew would identify ATMs in vulnerable locations and use construction-crew disguises, blowtorches, cell phone jammers and other sophisticated tactics to break into ATMs and steal cash,” prosecutors said. “The crew targeted more than 29 banks and credit unions, with more than $4 million in cash taken.”
11 People Charted
U.S. Attorney spokesperson Alayip Graziers, said a grand jury charged 11 defendants with bank robbery and conspiracy to commit bank robbery in October. Arellano was charged separately as “John Doe 2,” and a second time as Diego Arellano once authorities learned his true name in May, prosecutors added.
Arellano also faces charges of assault with a deadly weapon in Los Angeles under the alias Fabio Hernandez, according to prosecutors.
