Armed Bank Heist Rocks Laredo: Former Employee Pleads Guilty to Heinous Crime
LAREDO, Texas – In a shocking turn of events, Ansel Cruz, a 30-year-old Laredo native, has pleaded guilty to one count of armed bank robbery at the Laredo Federal Credit Union, where he was once employed.
Cruz, a former coworker turned perpetrator, admitted to robbing the bank on January 6, 2012, forcing his former colleagues at gunpoint to enter the bank’s vault. The brazen heist left employees shaken and a community in shock.
According to court documents, Cruz donned a black face covering and black clothing, gaining entry through a rear door into the building, where he accessed the Credit Union’s vault. He threatened to shoot two employees with a pistol if they didn’t cooperate, tying them up and locking them in a closet.
After securing the vault, Cruz made off with an undisclosed amount of money, fleeing the scene in a vehicle belonging to the custodians. The vehicle was later found abandoned just a few blocks away from Cruz’s residence.
Thanks to the swift investigation by the FBI and Laredo Police Department, Cruz was apprehended on January 11, 2012. A search warrant executed at his home turned up the stolen money, as well as physical evidence linking him to the crime, including a bag containing black clothing and gloves, rolls of tape, a pistol slide, and ammunition magazine.
The FBI Laboratory confirmed Cruz’s fingerprints on the bank bands found with the money in his home, as well as linking fibers on his clothing to the fibers found on the tape used to bind the employees. Blood found on the clothing was also matched to Cruz.
Cruz has been in federal custody since his arrest and faces up to 25 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine at his sentencing hearing, set for a later date. Assistant United States Attorney Homero Ramirez prosecuted the case.
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