A crew accused of yanking ATMs right off their foundations with chains and stolen pickup trucks in a three-state cash grab is seeing another member hauled before the beak. Tristian Miller is set to face the music today in a Chicago federal court, rounding out a quintet of defendants charged with conspiracy to swipe the automated cash dispensers in Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa.
According to the feds, these alleged bandits didn't just stop at one daring heist; they're said to have hit up a series of eight ATMs, leaving behind a trail of abandoned trucks and a mystery vehicle they supposedly switched to after their raids. The indictment, which details the dates and locations of the heists, describes a brazen operation that spanned several weeks in early 2022. From a bank in Portage, Indiana, to a slew of financial institutions across the Hawkeye State, these alleged thieves covered serious ground to allegedly pad their pockets with ill-gotten gains.
In a list of ATMs taken for a ride, the indictment names spots including First Source Bank in Indiana, Inland Bank in Countryside, Illinois, and a handful in Iowa—Grundy National, First State Bank, First Central State Bank, Solon State Bank, and Resource Bank. Along with Miller, his co-defendants Danny Roland, Bryce Jones, Chandler Williams, and Daquan Bens have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting their day in court.
Miller, nabbed last month in Texas, will now join them in pleading his case. He's scheduled to be arraigned at 2 p.m. before the U.S. Magistrate Judge Sunil R. Harjani. The arrest and charges come after a joint effort involving an alphabet soup of law enforcement agencies from local to federal levels. Acting U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual, along with top FBI brass from Chicago and Houston, named numerous local departments from the affected states as crucial allies in bringing down this ATM-robbing enterprise.
While the indictment paints a picture of a well-oiled machine of ATM burglars, it's standard fare to remind the public that these charges are merely accusations. The defendants remain innocent until proven guilty in a court, where the government must prove their guilt beyond a shadow of a doubt. If they're convicted, it will be up to the court to decide a fitting sentence within federal guidelines.
