Alex Moyano Morales, Bank Robbery, California 2024

FRESNO, Calif. – A string of brazen bank robberies has left authorities reeling, with 11 foreign nationals charged with conspiracy to commit bank robbery in connection with the crimes.

According to court documents, the defendants – 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, and Humberto Jimenez Moreno, 45, of Chile – broke into and stole money from financial institutions between May and October of 2024.

The crew, which rented short-term vacation properties near their intended targets and used cars rented on the black market, targeted at least 29 banks and credit unions across California, Oregon, and Washington, making off with more than $4 million in cash.

Using construction-crew disguises, blowtorches, and cellphone jammers, among other sophisticated tactics, the conspirators broke into the ATMs and stole their cash. In some cases, they even cut holes through walls to access the ATMs.

The FBI tracked the crew to several short-term rental properties in Oregon and Washington, where they executed search warrants and found hundreds of pounds of robbery tools, disguises, fake identification documents, and more than $100,000 in cash.

Valdez, Sepulveda, Bastias, Dacosta, Alarcon, and Parada were arrested in Washington on October 30, while Moyano, Celis, and Osorio were arrested in the greater Los Angeles area. Lagos and Jimenez are expected to face the indictment in Fresno.

The defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit bank robbery, with eight of them also facing additional charges of bank robbery. If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison.

The indictment alleges that the defendants targeted banks and ATMs throughout the Eastern District of California, as well as in Oregon, Washington, and the Los Angeles area. The alleged incidents include the robbery of a Wells Fargo in Modesto on September 18, 2024, and the breaking into and stealing money from a Golden 1 Credit Union ATM on September 22, 2024.

The FBI is urging anyone with relevant information about the crimes to come forward. For more information, visit the FBI’s Seeking Victims Page.

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