South American crew used signal jammers, disguises in robberies, FBI say

They arrived in construction vests and surgical masks, armed with signal jammers, sledgehammers and blowtorches. The bank robbery group, made up mostly of Chilean nationals, hit multiple banks across California and made off with $2.5 million, according to federal prosecutors.

In Fresno in May, the crew hit a Wells Fargo and used tools to break into an ATM vault through an adjacent unit and made off with more than $80,000 in cash. The next month in Auburn, they racked up $226,000 at a Golden 1 Credit Union branch and followed up a few days later by stealing money from two ATMs in Clovis that had an estimated $150,000-$200,000 each.

Members of a bank robbery crew scouted locations for their robberies and sprayed the lenses of surveillance cameras with black paint.

(US Attorney’s Office)

But earlier this month, 10 people believed to have been part of the crew were charged in connection with the robberies. Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California have charged Alex Moyano Morales, Maite Celis Silva, Erik Osorio Olivarez, Pablo Andres Valdez Rodriguez, Rosa Francisca Bastias Serra, Camilo Andres Sepulveda Guzman, John Doe 2, Bassil Alejandro Cacosta Frias, Camilo indicted Alarcon Alarcon and Michelle Alondra Parada Muñoz on October 21. The allegations were first reported by the East Bay Times.

Prosecutors said the suspects were involved in scouting locations, breaking into banks or other activities related to the robberies. Authorities indicate more than a dozen robberies or attempted robberies between June 14 and September 22, ranging from Long Beach to Yuba City. FBI agents say they believe the same ring is connected to a January robbery in Houston.

Many of the suspects in the case have previously been arrested in California, Florida and Chile. One suspect is originally from Venezuela and according to the court, several suspects have aliases.

A confidential informant claims that Moyano is connected to several robberies in other states and that he is the leader of the group, dubbed the South American Theft Group by the FBI, according to court records. Moyano was arrested on March 13 in Glendale, where a warrant was issued for his arrest under his alias Nicholas Hernandez.

FBI agents say they began their investigation into the bank robberies in May and linked their signature tactics to several robberies in California. The crew dressed in various worker outfits, scouted locations prior to the robberies, entered an adjacent business at a bank, and used signal jammers to disable wireless security equipment. They also used sledgehammers and blowtorches to get into the vaults.

Footage of a group of robbers using tools to break into a Wells Fargo ATM vault in May 2024 and making off with more than $80,000 in cash. Ten people have been charged in connection with the robberies.

(US Attorney’s Office)

A major break in the case came when three vehicles were linked to common robbery locations in Fresno, Modesto, Roseville, Rocklin, Yuba City and Fall River Mills, according to court records.

A silver-colored Chevrolet Suburban, a silver-colored Audi SUV and a white Ford Explorer were present at or around the (attempted) robbery.

In September, the Chevrolet was stopped in Simi Valley, but the driver was not linked to the crew. The vehicle was reported stolen by a Hertz rental company, but the driver claimed he rented the car from a club promoter known as ‘xtrackz’. Prosecutors did not provide the club promoter’s real name, but FBI agents interviewed him and learned that the vehicle had been rented to a man named “Gordito,” later revealed to be Moyano.

Moyano was unaware that the Chevrolet was equipped with an Apple AirTag tracking device. According to court records, the vehicle’s location history coincided with Airbnb rentals on multiple robbery dates.

On September 18, the crew broke into a Wells Fargo in Fresno, making off with $247,000. Prosecutors say they broke into the ATM vault by cutting through the wall of an adjacent pet spa. Surveillance footage of the suspects at the pet spa before the robbery showed one suspect distracting an employee while another tested the durability of a wall. One of the suspects, wearing an upside-down LA hat, can be seen spray-painting a surveillance camera outside the business with black paint.

The Airbnb was rented to Celis, who, according to court records, had also rented several other Airbnbs in California that matched the times and locations of several other ATM break-ins or attempted break-ins.

Members of the bank robbery crew scouted locations and nearby businesses, often concealing their identities with surgical masks.

(US Attorney’s Office)

Surveillance footage from Airbnb rentals in Turlock and Mount Shasta showed the suspects entering the rental properties with toolboxes, tool bags and backpacks consistent with equipment seen in several robberies.

Federal investigators say the vehicles linked to the group were also on license plate readers in Oregon, and at least two ATM robberies were committed there around the same time. Federal agents obtained a search warrant for Moyano’s Instagram accounts, where they discovered he had recorded a child shuffling large stacks of hundred-dollar bills and was shown in another post holding several stacks of cash.

In mid-October, federal agents tracked the white Audi to an Airbnb in Oregon. The suspects rented the location from October 16 to 22. All three cars linked to the group were present at the rental location, surveillance footage shows. Valdez, Bastias, Sepulveda, Dacosta and Alarcon were all present at the Airbnb.

The group became suspicious that police were watching them and they hurriedly left on Oct. 18, court records show. The next day, investigators found theft tools and toolboxes in the abandoned rental unit.

The same day, location data from the white Audi led federal investigators to an Airbnb in Seattle. Bastias and Sepulveda were apprehended and arrested. Valdez, Dacosta, Alarcon and another man tried to drive away in a silver Ford Fiesta, but they too were apprehended.

FBI agents surrounded the Seattle home and ordered everyone out. Parada and another woman came outside and were arrested. According to an FBI statement, it took three agents to get a cell phone out of Parada’s hands while she was being arrested.

Investigators obtained a search warrant for the Airbnb and found about $20,000, along with backpacks and clothing that matched what the group wore during their previous robberies, according to court records.

Celis gave birth on Monday while in custody. She has asked the court to allow her daughter to stay with her after she is discharged from the hospital.