Cibola County Man Cops to Wells Fargo Robbery

Daniel Albert Chavez, 53, of Acoma, N.M., is headed to federal prison for knocking over a Wells Fargo Bank in Grants, N.M. The heist, pulled Oct. 20, 2015, at 201 North First St., netted an undisclosed sum before Chavez vanished—only to be caught and sentenced to 33 months behind bars.

Chavez was arrested March 29, 2016, on a federal indictment charging him with two separate bank robberies in Cibola County. The first hit targeted the Bank of New Mexico branch at 824 West Santa Fe Ave. in Grants on Feb. 20, 2015. The second, and the only one Chavez admitted to, was the Wells Fargo takedown five months later.

On Aug. 2, 2016, Chavez entered a guilty plea in federal court in Albuquerque, N.M., to a single count of bank robbery. He confessed to the Wells Fargo job—walking in, presenting a threat, and walking out with cash. Federal prosecutors dropped the second count in exchange for the plea.

The case was cracked through collaboration between the Gallup office of the FBI and the Grants Police Department. Investigators tied Chavez to both robberies through surveillance footage, witness statements, and physical evidence collected at the scene of the October 2015 heist.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Han handled the prosecution, pushing for accountability in a region plagued by repeat property crimes. Chavez’s 33-month sentence includes two years of supervised release post-incarceration, during which he will be monitored for any violations.

Chavez’s conviction underscores the feds’ relentless pursuit of financial crimes in rural districts. Though the dollar amount stolen remains sealed, the message is loud and clear: rip off a federally insured bank, and the feds will come calling—no matter how small the town.