Chilean robbery crew member pleads guilty to bank, ATM robberies in California, Oregon, Washington
By Carlos E. Castañeda
A Chilean national on Monday pleaded guilty to a string of bank and ATM robberies for his role in a robbery crew using sophisticated tactics to steal more than $5 billion in California, Oregon and Washington, prosecutors announced on Tuesday.
Francisco Antonio Marin Ilbaca, 46, pleaded guilty on Monday to conspiracy to commit bank robbery as part of a larger South American theft group, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California Eric Grant said in a press release.
Marin Ilbaca and other co-defendants conspired to break into banks and ATMs between May and October of 2024 by scouting vulnerable robbery locations, disguising themselves as construction workers, and using blowtorches and cellphone jammers to break into facilities and steal cash, according to court documents. The group used vacation rental properties near the site of the robbery and rented cars on the black market to remain undetected.
Among the cities targeted in the robberies were Auburn, Clovis, Fall River Mills, Fresno, Merced, Modesto, Rocklin, Roseville and Yuba City in Northern California, as well as in the Los Angeles area, Oregon and Washington.
Prosecutors describe the South American Theft Group (SATG) as an organized crime network of groups from Colombia and other South American countries that travel across the U.S. to commit robberies, and who have also targeted Asian-American business owners.
Marin Ilbaca was set to be sentenced on June 8 and faces a maximum of five years in prison for conspiracy to commit bank robbery, although his actual sentence will take into account federal sentencing guidelines.
Nine other co-conspirators are currently charged for their roles in the conspiracy, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Last month, another Chilean national, 27-year-old Maite Celis Silva, pleaded guilty to both bank robbery and conspiracy to commit bank robbery and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for bank robbery and five years in prison for conspiracy.
The FBI investigated the case with police departments from the cities of Citrus Heights, Clovis, Elk Grove, Fresno, Modesto, Rocklin, Roseville, and Sacramento, as well as the Placer County Sheriff’s Office. The Los Angeles Police Department and Sheriff’s Office, and the Seattle Police Department also assisted in the case.
