FRESNO, Calif. — A member of an ATM robbery crew has been arrested and charged with bank robbery and conspiracy to commit bank robbery arising from a string of robberies from banks and ATMs throughout California, Oregon, and Washington, Acting U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Sanchez announced.
According to court documents, Diego Ananias Arellano Diaz, aka Fabio Cristian Hernandez, was arrested July 29, 2025, in Newport Beach for his participation in a conspiracy to break into and steal money from financial institutions between May and October 2024.
To avoid detection, the crew rented short-term vacation properties near their intended targets and used cars rented on the black market. Conspirators identified ATMs in vulnerable locations and then, using construction-crew disguises, blowtorches, cellphone jammers, and other sophisticated tactics, broke into the ATMs and stole their cash. More than 29 banks and credit unions were targeted during the period of the conspiracy, with more than $4 million in cash taken.
Eleven alleged members of the robbery crew were arrested in October 2024 for heists in 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.
On Oct. 31, 2024, a grand jury returned an indictment charging 11 defendants with conspiracy to commit bank robbery and bank robbery. Arellano was separately charged by complaint as “John Doe 2” on Oct. 21, 2024, and again as Diego Arellano once his true name was learned on May 14, 2025.
According to the San Ramon Police Department, Arellano was identified as the one of the suspects responsible for a bombing and burglary of an ATM in a Target in San Ramon that occurred on July 20, 2025. Court records reflect that Arellano is also charged in the Los Angeles Superior Court with assault with a deadly weapon under an alias, Fabio Hernandez.
Arellano is presently in state custody and is expected to make his appearance in federal court following state proceedings.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the police departments of the cities of Burbank, Citrus Heights, Clovis, Elk Grove, Fresno, Garden Grove, Modesto, Newport Beach, Rocklin, Roseville, Sacramento, and San Ramon, and the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Office, and the Seattle Police Department. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California also received assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the District of Oregon, the Central District of California, and the Western District of Washington. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert L. Veneman-Hughes and Justin J. Gilio are prosecuting the case.
If convicted, the defendant face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison for bank robbery and five years in prison for conspiracy to commit bank robbery. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.