October 14, 2014

Two Facing Federal Charges for Patterson Bank Robbery

FRESNO, CA—Two Central Valley men are now in federal custody after a Fresno grand jury returned a two-count indictment charging them with armed bank robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

Juan Carlos Reyes, 24, of Tracy, and Jose Valadez Jr., 33, of Patterson, were indicted on September 18, 2014. Valadez was arrested on the day of the robbery and has been in custody since then on a state charge, which was dismissed Friday. Reyes was arrested on a federal warrant on October 11, 2014, after he was detained in Manteca by local law enforcement on suspicion of an unrelated offense.

According to the indictment, on June 19, 2014, Reyes and Valadez robbed the Wells Fargo Bank at 1035 Sperry Avenue in Patterson. Both of the men were armed, one with a handgun and the other with a sawed-off shotgun.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant United States Attorney Melanie L. Alsworth is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum statutory penalty for armed bank robbery of 25 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The mandatory minimum statutory penalty for brandishing a sawed-off shotgun during a crime of violence is 10 years in prison with a maximum of life in prison. The mandatory minimum statutory penalty for brandishing a handgun during a crime of violence is seven years in prison with a maximum of life in prison. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

The charges are only allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.