Three Denver Individuals Charged With Wells Fargo Bank Robbery

Three Denver Individuals Charged With Wells Fargo Bank Robbery
 
DENVER – Two individuals from the Metro Denver area were arrested this morning by special agents and task force officers from the FBI led Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force (RMSSTF) on charges of armed bank robbery, U.S. Attorney John Walsh and FBI Denver Division Special Agent in Charge Thomas Ravenelle announced.  The defendants were arrested without incident.  A third defendant also charged with bank robbery was already in custody on an unrelated matter.  One of the two arrested today made his initial appearance this afternoon, where he was advised of his rights and the charges pending against him.  The other defendant arrested will make his initial appearance tomorrow.
Gabriel Archuleta, age 19, of Denver, Thomas Lucero, age 21, of Denver, and Thomas McQuonwn, age 48, of Lakewood, have each been charged with one count of armed bank robbery.  If convicted of armed bank robbery, each defendant faces not more than 25 years in federal prison, and up to a $250,000 fine.  The charges stem from the June 17, 2014 armed robbery of the Wells Fargo Bank at 6000 West 44th Avenue in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.  McQuonwn was the defendant who appeared in court today.  Archuleta is expected to appear in court tomorrow.  Lucero is currently in state custody on unrelated charges.
 
“The message from these arrests could not be more clear:  Federal and state law enforcement does not rest until violent takeover bank robberies of this kind are solved, and the perpetrators behind bars,” said U.S. Attorney John Walsh.  “Through relentless, implacable investigation, the FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force and federal prosecutors put together the many pieces of the puzzle in the case, ultimately turning it into the picture framed by today’s Criminal Complaint.”
“Today’s arrests illustrate the FBI’s commitment to work with its partners to address all violent crime including bank robberies,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Thomas Ravenelle.  “This investigation, which spanned many months, was truly a collaborative effort between local and federal law enforcement.  The suspects have demonstrated they were willing to meticulously plan every detail of the robbery. The community is safer with these suspects behind bars as they would certainly have committed other violent robberies.  We are confident that today’s arrests send a message to those contemplating bank robbery that they will be aggressively investigated and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
This case was investigated by the FBI, the Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force, the Wheat Ridge Police Department, the Denver Police Department, and the Lakewood Police Department.
The defendants are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Brown.
A Criminal Complaint is a probable cause charging document.  Anyone accused of committing a felony violation of federal law has a Constitutional right to be indicted by a federal grand jury.
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