Albuquerque Man Sentenced for Federal Bank Robbery Conviction

ALBUQUERQUE – Christopher Gallegos, 33, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced this morning in federal court to 57 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for his conviction on an armed bank robbery charge.

Christopher Gallegos was arrested in March 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him and four co-defendants, Greg Miera, 51, Martin Huertta, 43, Christian Herrera, 21, and Isaiah Gallegos, 22, all of Albuquerque, with robbing the US Bank branch located at 5620 Wyoming Blvd. NE in Albuquerque, on March 30, 2016. According to the complaint, 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. 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.

Christopher Gallegos, Huertta, Miera, Herrera and Isaiah Gallegos were indicted on April 27, 2016, and were charged with bank robbery.

On Feb. 13, 2017, Christopher Gallegos entered a guilty plea to the indictment. In entering the guilty plea, Christopher Gallegos admitted aiding and abetting the armed robbery of the U.S. Bank branch on March 30, 2016, by conducting surveillance of various potential banks in the two days leading up to the robbery.

Christopher Gallegos’ four co-defendants have entered guilty pleas and three have been sentenced. Huertta pled guilty on Sept. 9, 2016 and was sentenced on March 14, 2017 to 108 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Miera pled guilty on Oct. 11, 2016, and was sentenced on June 8, 2017, to 78 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Isaiah Gallegos entered a guilty plea on April 25, 2017, and was sentenced on Aug. 15, 2017, to 37 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Herrera entered a guilty plea on Feb. 24, 2017. At sentencing, Herrera faces a statutory maximum penalty of 25 years in federal prison; he remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing.

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.