An organized South American crew of alleged bank robbers are wanted by the FBI for a string of heists of more than $1.6 million in Fresno and several California cities since June, according to an unsealed affidavit obtained by The Bee on Wednesday.
The court record lays out the probable cause for the arrest of 10 foreign nationals — eight from Chile and two from Venezuela and Peru — accused of using surveillance and power tools to break into 15 ATMs throughout the central San Joaquin Valley and Southern California between June and September.
The crew would rent Airbnb vacation rentals and SUVs in locations near the planned heists and sometimes case the location before later returning to commit the larceny, the affidavit says.
They wore brightly colored construction vests and helmets, as well as surgical masks commonly worn during the pandemic, while using blowtorches, prybars, sledgehammers and other tools to take cash from the ATMs, the court records show.
They also sprayed paint onto surveillance cameras and would sometimes use a tarp to conceal their efforts, according to the affidavit.