Joseph Troy Ortega, Credit Union Robbery, Utah 2025

West Valley Man Admits to Robbing Credit Union

A brazen daylight robbery shook the community when Joseph Troy Ortega, 58, of West Valley City, Utah, threatened a teller and fled with $3,690 in cash from a local credit union.

According to court documents and admissions made at Sanchez-Carrillo’s change of plea hearing on August 28, 2025, Ortega entered a credit union in West Valley City, approached the teller and demanded money. The teller complied with Ortega’s demands and handed over $3,690.

Ortega then took the money and fled the credit union in his black Toyota Rav 4. A short time later, Ortega was located by law enforcement and taken into custody. In an envelope inside the vehicle, officers found a portion of the stolen money.

Ortega is scheduled to be sentenced February 24, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. in courtroom 3.4 before a U.S. District Court Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.

U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah made the announcement, stating the case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the federal government to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The case is being investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, with Assistant United States Attorney, Carlos A. Esqueda, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah, prosecuting the case.

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