Luis Castaneda Admits to 5 Bank Heists, 1 Attempt

Luis Castaneda, a 40-year-old man from Bound Brook, New Jersey, has admitted to carrying out five armed bank robberies and attempting a sixth across the state between June 2014 and June 2015. The string of heists targeted credit unions and regional banks, with Castaneda and accomplices using threats of violence to seize cash from terrified tellers.

Castaneda pleaded guilty in Newark federal court to six counts of bank robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during a robbery. U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo presided over the hearing where Castaneda admitted his role in each crime, including the June 12, 2015, robbery of Somerset Savings Bank, where he pulled and displayed a firearm to intimidate employees.

The targeted institutions included County Educators Federal Credit Union in Somerville on June 6, 2014; Manville Area Federal Credit Union in Manville on December 3, 2014; Public Service Credit Union in Middlesex on March 19, 2015; Peapack-Gladstone Bank in Piscataway on May 9, 2015 — an attempted robbery; Unity Bank in Whitehouse Station later that same day; and finally Somerset Savings Bank in Somerset on June 12, 2015.

During each robbery, Castaneda and others threatened bank staff, demanding money under threat of force. No injuries were reported, but witnesses described the robberies as swift, coordinated, and deeply unsettling. The use of a firearm during the final robbery triggers a mandatory seven-year sentence to be served consecutively to any other prison term imposed.

Each count of bank robbery carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Castaneda faces a likely lengthy sentence when he is formally sentenced on February 15, 2016. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith Williams of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.

The FBI’s Franklin Township Resident Agency led the investigation under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Timothy Gallagher. U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman praised cooperation from the Somerset County, Middlesex County, and Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Offices, as well as local police departments in Somerville, Manville, Piscataway, Readington Township, Middlesex Borough, and Castaneda’s hometown of Bound Brook. Defense counsel John Azzarello represented Castaneda during the plea proceedings.