Fugitive member of Chilean ATM robbery crew wanted in string of West Coast robberies arrested in Orange County
Diego Ananais Arrellano Diaz, aka Fabio Cristian Hernandez, was arrested in Newport Beach on Wednesday for his participation in a conspiracy to break into and steal money from ATMs between May and October 2024, according to a press release from Acting U.S. Attorney Kimberly Sanchez.
Arrellano Diaz had been identified as one of the suspects in the most recent incident on July 20, where a bomb was used to access and steal from an ATM inside a Target store in San Ramon, California.
According to court documents, Arellano Diaz and 10 other co-conspirators rented short-term vacation properties near ATMs in vulnerable locations. Wearing construction-crew disguises, they used blowtorches, cellphone jammers, and other sophisticated tactics to break into the ATMs and steal their cash, the complaint says.
Prosecutors say the robbery crew, referred to in court documents as a South American Theft Group made up primarily of Chilean nationals, hit more than 29 banks and credit unions and made off with more than $4 million in cash. Eleven alleged members of the robbery crew were arrested in October 2024 for heists in Fresno, Auburn, Merced, Clovis, Modesto, Roseville, Rocklin, Yuba City, and Fall River Mills, as well as in Oregon, Washington, and the Los Angeles area.
Arellano Diaz was separately charged in the complaint as "John Doe 2" on Oct. 21, 2024, and again as Diego Arellano once his true name was learned on May 14, said the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California. Arellano is also charged in Los Angeles Superior Court with assault with a deadly weapon under an alias, Fabio Hernandez, court records indicate.
If convicted, Arellano Diaz faces a maximum 20 years in prison for bank robbery and five years in prison for conspiracy to commit bank robbery, the U.S. Attorney's Office said, although any sentence would take into consideration any applicable statutory factors and federal sentencing guidelines.
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