Albuquerque Man Pleads Guilty to Aiding and Abetting Armed Bank Robbery

ALBUQUERQUE – Christian Herrera, 20, of Albuquerque, N.M., pled guilty this morning in federal court to aiding and abetting the armed robbery of an Albuquerque-area bank.

Herrera was arrested in March 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him and four co-defendants, Greg Miera, 51, Martin Huerta, 43, Christopher Gallegos, 33, and Isaiah Gallegos, 20, all of Albuquerque, with bank robbery. According to the complaint, a source identified the co-defendants as the individuals involved in robbing the US Bank branch located at 5620 Wyoming Blvd. NE in Albuquerque, on March 30, 2016. The complaint alleged that Albuquerque Police Department (APD) officers conducted surveillance as a vehicle with four men pulled up to the US Bank on the afternoon of March 30, 2016. The complaint alleged that three of the men remained in the vehicle while the fourth entered the bank, threatened to shoot the bank employees, and demanded that two bank tellers place cash into a plastic bag.

Miera, Huerta, Herrera, Isaiah Gallegos and Christopher Gallegos were subsequently indicted on an armed bank robbery charge on April 27, 2016.

During today’s proceedings, Herrera entered a guilty plea to the indictment. In entering the guilty plea, Herrera admitted aiding and abetting the armed robbery of the U.S. Bank branch on March 30, 2016, by acting as a lookout during the robbery.

Co-defendant Huerta previously entered a guilty plea to the indictment on Sept. 9, 2016, Miera entered a guilty plea on Oct. 11, 2016, and Christopher Gallegos entered a guilty plea on Feb. 13, 2017.

At sentencing, Herrera, Christopher Gallegos, Miera and Huerta each face a statutory maximum penalty of 25 years in federal prison. The co-defendants remain in custody pending sentencing hearings.

The one remaining co-defendant has entered a plea of not guilty to the indictment. Charges in complaints and indictments are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI and the Albuquerque Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Letitia C. Simms is prosecuting the case.