Fugitive linked to South American bank robbery crew arrested after ATM bombing
Then he allegedly bombed an ATM in Contra Costa County.
The man, identified as Diego Ananias Arellano Diaz, was arrested and charged with bank robbery and conspiracy to commit bank robbery, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.
For several months, he was listed in court records only as "John Doe 2," an alleged member of a South American theft group that authorities say carried out robberies in California, Oregon and Washington.
Read more: 7 Chileans accused of stealing millions in valuables from Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Joe Burrow
The crew targeted ATMs and banks. They stayed in Airbnb rentals near their targets and were armed with construction vests, sledgehammers, blowtorches and surgical masks, according to court documents.
The crew wielded signal jammers to interfere with Wi-Fi-enabled security systems, spray painted over security camera lenses and used rental cars secured on the black market. They carried out their heists between May and October 2024, according to federal prosecutors in the U.S. attorney's office for the Eastern District of California.
The crew stole more than $4 million in cash, prosecutors say.
A federal grand jury indicted 11 defendants on charges of bank robbery and conspiracy to commit bank robbery on Oct. 31. All the defendants were named, except for Arellano Diaz. He was listed as "John Doe 2" in a separate complaint.
Read more: At least 20 burglaries in Huntington Beach blamed on South American gang
Many of the named defendants were arrested in California, Florida and Chile, and their equipment was seized at an Airbnb in Welches, Ore., that the FBI said was being used as the crew's base of operations.
Agents recovered toolboxes and other equipment from the rental unit, authorities said.
During a review of the items on April 29, FBI agents pulled clothing that could be tested for DNA. Agents also found a GoPro video camera with a memory card inside.
After securing a warrant to search the camera's memory card in early May, FBI agents discovered several video files that included one of the named defendants in the case, Camilo Guzman Sepulveda. Agents also found an image of Arellano Diaz, who at that point was still unidentified.
That photo underwent facial recognition analysis, and the following day a match was made to Arellano Diaz, according to court documents.
Read more: Suspected member of 'South American theft group' facing felony charges in Ventura
His name was added to an arrest warrant, but that remained under seal while he was still at large.
According to prosecutors, Arellano Diaz — who was using the name Fabio Hernandez — was initially arrested in Los Angeles County in February and charged with assault with a deadly weapon on a firefighter or police officer. He was released on a $75,000 surety bond, and then he vanished.
On July 20, police in the Bay Area city of San Ramon identified Arellano Diaz as the man they suspected of blowing up an ATM at a local Target store.
He was arrested Tuesday in Newport Beach, authorities said.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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