LOS ANGELES, CA — A former guard at a Palmdale bank branch pleaded guilty Wednesday to helping stage the armed robbery of $200,000 in cash from a customer.
Tyjana Grayes, 25, of Palmdale, entered a plea in Los Angeles federal court to one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery.
Sentencing was scheduled for April 13.
According to the indictment, in January 2024, a couple deposited a check for $315,301 into a Chase Bank branch in Palmdale. Bank employees informed the couple that they would have to come back to pick up the cash — as the bank did not have that large amount of currency. The bank employee told the couple they would contact them when they could pick up the cash, according to the indictment.
Grayes, who was then an armed guard working for a private security company hired by Chase Bank, learned of the planned cash pickup via another bank teller. Grayes informed co-defendants Jerry Wimbley and Roman Isaiah Smith about the pickup so they could rob the victims, prosecutors said.
Federal prosecutors stated that on Feb. 9, 2024, Wimbley and Smith drove to the Chase branch and waited in the parking lot for hours while the victims obtained $200,000 from the bank.
During work, Grayes sent a series of text messages and phone calls to a co-conspirator regarding the location of the victims when they arrived at the bank. The co-conspirator relayed the information to Wimbley and Smith, so they could prepare to rob the victims, federal prosecutors said.
As the couple was leaving the bank with the cash, Wimbley and Smith exited their vehicle with semiautomatic handguns, threatened to shoot the victims, and stole the money, court papers allege.
From Feb. 10, 2024, through March 8, 2024, Wimbley laundered the money at a local casino, according to an affidavit filed with a criminal complaint. Wimbley allegedly purchased about $34,500 in gambling chips and cashed out roughly $168,700. During five visits to the casino, Wimbley is suspected of having cashed out about $89,700 without purchasing any chips.
In addition, on Sept. 18, 2024, Wimbley, a convicted felon, possessed a .40 caliber pistol and various types of ammunition, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Grayes, Wimbley, 23, and Smith, 25, were charged in October 2024 in a seven-count federal grand jury indictment. Wimbley and Smith are awaiting trial. They are both Lancaster residents.
City News Service