An FBI investigation right into a Tallahassee financial institution theft uncovered a years-long scheme that spanned the state of Florida and led to a federal arrest of a former ATM technician.
Saint-Louis Johnson was arrested on a slew of federal prices together with armed theft and financial institution theft in November. His jury trial is about to start March 2.
The theft that led to his being caught occurred on Tuesday, Sept. 29, on the walk-up ATM outdoors the Financial institution of America at 5676 Thomasville Highway.
Extra crime protection:
An ATM technician was tending to the malfunctioning machine when he was approached by a gunman who FBI brokers later recognized as Johnson after connecting him by way of surveillance footage and financial institution transaction data.
“Sit down, flip round and do not take a look at (me),” Johnson instructed the technician, in accordance with courtroom data.
Whereas he was emptying the cash out of the ATM, the technician jumped up, sprinted away and screamed for assist. Johnson bought away with $104,840, in accordance with the FBI.
Investigators instantly pulled transaction data on the ATM, which led them to Johnson’s title and an outline that got here from a surveillance digital camera that had the theft in its body.
Johnson, between a while in 2012 and Might 2019, labored for a corporation that maintains and builds ATMs utilized by Financial institution of America and different monetary establishments.
He was fired in 2019 after he was investigated by his employer and Chase Financial institution for “illegally accessing over 50 ATMs, which resulted in roughly $292,000 in lacking foreign money,” learn an FBI affidavit.
Financial institution of America pulled all of Johnson’s transaction data and located that his account was linked to a February ATM theft in Longwood, which FBI brokers mentioned had a comparable “modus operandi … to that of the Tallahassee ATM theft.”
In that theft, he bagged $130,000.
Investigators additionally linked Johnson to a November 2019 theft at a Boca Raton Financial institution of America. There, he requested a technician at gunpoint to fill a plastic bag with cash, which the financial institution totaled at $192,000.
Alongside together with his checking account, investigators mentioned a person with the identical look appeared in surveillance footage pulled from every ATM. In a minimum of two of the robberies, he was seen driving the identical automotive and license plate.
In December, he was indicted by a federal grand jury on three prices associated to the armed robberies.
Contact Christopher Cann at ccann@tallahassee.com and observe @ChrisCannFL on Twitter.
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