Albuquerque Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Armed Robbery Conviction

ALBUQUERQUE – Martin Huertta, 43, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced this morning in federal court to a 108-month term of imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release for his armed bank robbery conviction.

Huertta was arrested in March 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him and four co-defendants, Greg Miera, 51, Christian Herrera, 20, Christopher Gallegos, 33, and Isaiah Gallegos, 20, all of Albuquerque, with bank robbery. According to the complaint, a source identified the defendants as the individuals involved in robbing the US Bank branch located at 5620 Wyoming Blvd. NE in Albuquerque, on March 30, 2016. 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.

Huertta, Miera, Herrera, Isaiah Gallegos and Christopher Gallegos were indicted on April 27, 2016, and charged with bank robbery. On Sept. 9, 2016, Huertta entered a guilty plea to the indictment without the benefit of a plea agreement

Three of Huertta’s co-defendants also have entered guilty pleas. Miera entered a guilty plea on Oct. 11, 2016, Christopher Gallegos entered a guilty plea on Feb. 13, 2017, and Herrera entered a guilty plea on Feb. 24, 2017. At sentencing, Herrera, Christopher Gallegos and Miera each face a statutory maximum penalty of 25 years in federal prison. They remain in custody pending sentencing hearings.

Isaiah Gallegos has entered a plea of not guilty to the indictment and is scheduled for trial on April 24, 2017. Charges in criminal 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.