A 27-year-old Chilean woman pleaded guilty to bank robbery and conspiracy to commit bank robbery stemming from a string of bank and ATM heists throughout California, Oregon, and Washington.
Maite Celis Silva was part of a South American crime group that broke into multiple financial institutions from May through October of 2024.
According to court documents, Celis was responsible for renting short-term vacation properties near the banks and ATMs that the crew intended to target.
The rental properties served as staging locations for the robberies. The crew also rented cars on the black market to get to the robbery locations.
Once they identified ATMs in vulnerable locations, they used construction-crew disguises, blowtorches, and cellphone jammers, among other sophisticated tactics, to break into the banks and ATMs and steal cash.
They also sprayed paint onto surveillance cameras and would sometimes use a tarp to conceal their efforts, according to court documents.
The total loss reported while Celis was a participant was more than $5.5 million.
The banks hit included three in Fresno, two in Temecula, and one each in Clovis, Lakewood, Long Beach, Mission Viejo, Modesto, Oxnard, Rocklin, Stockton, Torrance and Yuba City, the affidavit says.
Nine others are currently charged for their roles in the conspiracy. The charges against those defendants are only allegations; they are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Celis is set for sentencing on June 1, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Kirk E. Sherriff. Celis faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison for bank robbery and five years in prison for conspiracy to commit bank robbery.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the police departments of the cities of Fresno, Citrus Heights, Clovis, Elk Grove, Fresno, Modesto, Rocklin, Roseville, and Sacramento, as well as the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, conducted the investigation with assistance from the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office, and the Seattle Police Department. Assistant U.S.
Attorneys Robert L. Veneman-Hughes and Justin J. Gilio are prosecuting the case.
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A Valley native, Robert has worked at The Fresno Bee since 1994, covering various topics including education, business, courts and agriculture.