A man accused of blowing up ATMs and stealing millions across the West Coast was finally caught last week in Newport Beach, California.
The suspect isn’t just any common crook; he’s part of a high-level criminal crew from Chile that’s been tied to more than two dozen bank robberies.
Federal agents say this group used tools like blowtorches, sledgehammers, and even signal jammers to pull off a string of heists in California, Oregon, and Washington. In total, they stole more than $4 million between May and October of last year.
This wasn’t some low-budget street crime. These guys operated like professionals.
They stayed in Airbnbs near their targets, disguised themselves as construction workers, and used black-market rental cars to get around. They even spray-painted security cameras and jammed alarm systems before breaking into ATMs.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, most of the crew was arrested last fall – but one man, 34-year-old Diego Ananias Arellano Diaz, slipped through the cracks. He was indicted by a federal grand jury along with 11 others in October 2024, but he went missing after posting $75,000 bond earlier that year.
Five months later, he turned up in the Bay Area where he allegedly blew up another ATM at a Target store in San Ramon.
On July 29, he was finally arrested in Newport Beach.
Here’s the part that should concern all of us: Arellano Diaz is a foreign national who was caught assaulting a first responder in L.A. County just months before vanishing. Instead of being held, he was released back into the public. In that time, federal agents say he continued his crime spree.
How Did He Get Here?
The media hasn’t said how Arellano Diaz entered the country, but Chile is part of the Visa Waiver Program, which lets its citizens travel to the U.S. for up to 90 days without needing a visa. That program was designed for tourism and business – not organized crime.
A 2023 report from Immigration and Customs Enforcement warned that criminals from South America, particularly Chile, have been using visa-free travel to run burglary rings, sometimes called “crime tourism.”
In fact, some officials have urged the Biden administration to reconsider Chile’s status in the waiver program, citing rising crime and abuse.
Yet here we are.
Why Was He Out on Bond?
Critics of soft-on-crime policies in places like California have long warned that letting dangerous suspects out on bail puts the public at risk.
In this case, it gave a violent robbery suspect the time and freedom to disappear, only to resurface with more destruction.
According to court records, Arellano Diaz was already facing charges for assaulting a firefighter or police officer when he skipped town.
If that’s not enough to keep someone behind bars, what is?
This isn’t just a one-off story. It’s part of a growing trend where foreign nationals come into the country, commit crimes, and slip through the cracks thanks to weak policies and lax enforcement.
Yes, it’s good that federal agents finally caught him. But how many more are out there, using the same loopholes to target American families and businesses?
As calls grow for stronger border control and tougher bail policies, stories like this should serve as a clear warning: It’s time to put public safety first.
This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
