U.S. Attorney Phillip Talbert said the suspects, mostly from Chile, were part of an ongoing conspiracy to break into and steal money from financial institutions.
They rented short-term vacation homes between May and October and used black-market rental cars during the crime spree, according to Talbert’s office.
In the course of the robberies, the alleged perpetrators wore construction clothing to disguise themselves as they used blowtorches, cell phone jammers, and other sophisticated tactics to break into ATMs and steal cash, according to federal and local law enforcement.
More than 29 banks and credit unions were targeted, and more than $4 million in cash was stolen, federal prosecutors said.
Nine of the 11 suspects—from Chile, Peru, and Venezuela—were arrested last week, and two others were arrested Wednesday, according to Talbert’s office.
Federal prosecutors say the targets were banks and ATMs throughout Fresno, Auburn, Merced, Clovis, Modesto, Roseville, Rocklin, Yuba City, and Fall River Mills.
Incidents were also reported in Oregon, Washington, and the Los Angeles area.
One of the robberies took place on Sept. 18 at a Wells Fargo in Modesto.
Federal officials said several co-conspirators scouted an adjoining business before returning during the night to cut a hole through the wall of the adjoining business to access the Wells Fargo ATMs.
Four days later, on Sept. 22, there was a break-in and robbery at a Golden 1 Credit Union ATM by people dressed like a construction crew.
According to law enforcement, on Sept. 28, the group allegedly broke into Tri Counties Bank in Fall River Mills in Shasta County, using blowtorches, saws, and other power tools to access the bank and its interior vaults.
“During this robbery, the conspirators were interrupted and left some of their tools behind,” Talbert’s office said in a statement released on Thursday.
According to court documents, investigators tracked the crew to several short-term rental properties in Oregon and Washington, where the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) searched and found hundreds of pounds of robbery tools, disguises, fake identification documents, and more than $100,000 in cash, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Most of the defendants were arrested following the search in Washington.
The search of a house in Los Angeles County resulted in the arrest of Moyano Morales, Celis Silva, and Osorio Olivarez.
The defendants were identified as Alex Moyano Morales, 24, of Chile; 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; and Humberto Jimenez Moreno, 45, of Chile.
All defendants were charged with conspiracy to commit bank robbery.
Moyano Morales, Celis Silva, Osorio Olivarez, Valdez Rodriguez, Bastias Serra, Sepulveda Guzman, Lagos Mieres, and Jimenez Moreno were also charged with bank robbery, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for bank robbery and five years in prison for conspiracy to commit bank robbery.
FBI spokeswoman Gina Swankie in the Sacramento field office did not confirm whether the 11 suspects are part of a trend of “burglary tourism” by foreign nationals, but said the bureau is continuing to gather information about the case.
“The complaint tied to this case is robust and helpful,” Swankie told The Epoch Times. “As we are still gathering information from victim institutions, I think it is best to not assume anything.”
According to the LAPD, the suspected criminals were increasingly exploiting U.S. temporary visas, which don’t require background checks, to fly into Los Angeles and rob mansions, then flee back home with the valuables.
Los Angeles police reported that in 2023, 94 burglaries were attributed to foreign burglary tourists in just one section of the city.
