Armed Bank Robbers Strike in Passaic and Little Falls, New Jersey
Two men, Nicholas Ortiz and Jose Soto, have been indicted for their roles in two armed bank robberies in Passaic and Little Falls, New Jersey. The crimes were committed in February 2020.
According to the indictment, Ortiz and Soto entered the PNC Bank in Passaic on February 6, 2020, while wearing ski masks and holding umbrellas. One of the men brandished a silver and black handgun, while the other jumped over the teller counter and demanded cash.
On February 27, 2020, Ortiz and Soto entered the Valley National Bank in Little Falls, New Jersey. They brandished a silver and black gun and forced bank employees to open the vault, retrieving cash before fleeing through the rear door.
Nicholas Ortiz, 37, of Paterson, New Jersey, and Jose Soto, 49, of Passaic, New Jersey, are each charged with two counts of bank robbery, conspiracy to commit bank robbery, and brandishing firearms in furtherance of the bank robberies.
Each bank robbery charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. The conspiracy charge carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. Each count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a bank robbery carries a mandatory minimum of seven years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.
The federal grand jury indicted the men, who will be arraigned at a date to be determined. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emma Spiro of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark.
The charge and allegations in the indictment are merely accusations, and Ortiz and Soto are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Related Federal Cases
- Jeffrey L. Kniffin, Armed Bank Robbery, New Jersey 2025 · New Jersey
- Jeffrey L. Kniffin, Armed Bank Robbery, New Jersey 2025 · New Jersey
- Samuel Campbell, Armed Bank Robbery, CA, 2016 · California
- Luis Castaneda, Armed Bank Robbery, NJ 2014-2015 · New Jersey
- Jose Lemus, Armed Bank Robbery, California 2011 · California
Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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