Nigel Dwane Luchin, Bank Burglary and Bank Theft, Missouri 2023

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DEFENDANTS INDICTED FOR BANK THEFT IN SPRINGFIELD

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – In a brazen heist, a Texas truck was used to break open an ATM at Wood & Huston Bank in Springfield on October 20, 2023, netting thieves $[amount] in cash.

Nigel Dwane Luchin, 27, and Leo Smith, 21, both of Houston, Texas, and Christopher E. Merchant, 24, of Beaumont, Texas, were charged in a six-count indictment returned today by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo.

The indictment alleges that Luchin, Smith, and Merchant participated in a conspiracy to commit bank burglary and a conspiracy to commit bank theft from October 3 to November 8, 2023.

Smith is accused of stealing a heavy-duty Dodge Ram truck from a parking lot in Springfield on October 20, 2023. He allegedly drove the truck to Wood & Huston Bank, where it was used to break open and steal money from the ATM.

In addition to the two conspiracies, Smith is charged with one count of bank burglary and one count of bank theft in relation to Wood & Huston Bank.

On October 29 or 30, 2023, Smith allegedly assisted in the theft of a heavy-duty Ford F-250 truck from a parking lot in Nixa, Mo. On October 29, 2023, the indictment says, Luchin and/or Merchant purchased a tow chain, which was used to break open and steal money from the ATM at Southern Bank in Ozark, Mo.

A federal affidavit alleges that conspirators used a chain and two large hooks to dismantle the door to the ATM at Southern Bank by attaching the chains to the ATM and pulling the chain and hooks with the stolen Ford F-250. They stole $30,700 from the ATM and left the bank, abandoning the pickup truck a short distance away.

The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.