SAN FRANCISCO — The Bay Area’s most famous alleged bank robber has set a date to plead guilty to at least one federal charge and the reason why might spare him a jail sentence.
Valentino Giovanni Luchin is a man in his 60s with two wildly different legacies — he is known as a talented, hardworking Italian chef and an inept bank robber. Having already served a yearlong jail sentence for an Orinda bank robbery in 2018, Luchin was indicted last year on charges of attempting to rob three San Francisco banks in the same day.
Now, Luchin has set a court date in late August to change his plea in the three-count robbery case. He was set to change his plea in July, but court officials are still evaluating whether Luchin should qualify for a Conviction Alternatives Program that could allow him to avoid a lengthy prison sentence, records show.
Three things probably work in Luchin’s favor; his age, his lifetime of work in various restaurants, and the sheer lack of sophistication in his alleged crimes. In 2018, he used his own car and a BB gun to rob a Citibank in Orinda of about $18,000. It took the Contra Costa Sheriff’s office mere hours to track him down and arrest him.
Asked to explain himself in a jailhouse interview, Luchin shrugged and told a reporter, “s— happens.” He blamed the stress of the restaurant industry and his own financial woes.
This time, Luchin allegedly went to three San Francisco banks and attempted to rob them, netting less than $3,000 for his efforts. Again, police quickly identified and arrested him. Again, Luchin — this time through an attorney — blamed extreme financial stress for the alleged crimes.
The 2025 arrest sparked national media attention and added an unexpected chapter to what had been a comeback story — Luchin had faced the closure of his own restaurant, served time in jail for bank robbery, and was still able to find work as a chef in the Bay Area despite it all.
From 2010 to 2016, Luchin was the owner and head chef of the popular Ottavio restaurant in downtown Walnut Creek. In the kitchen, his reputation is impeccable; he’s known for bringing authentic Venetian cooking to a region hard-pressed to find it.
Luchin has been out of custody since a federal magistrate signed off on his release in February, court records show. Even if he pleads guilty in August as scheduled, he’ll likely remain free until at least his sentencing date.