Federal prosecutors say a brazen daylight holdup at a Chambersburg shopping center has landed three men in serious trouble in federal court. A federal grand jury in the Middle District of Pennsylvania has indicted three defendants in connection with the March 18, 2024, armed robbery of employees who were collecting cash from “skill games” at the Southgate Shopping Center in Chambersburg. Two of the men are listed as Reading residents and the third as a Philadelphia resident, and prosecutors allege the workers were held at gunpoint while the cash was taken. The indictment, unsealed this week, charges the trio with federal robbery and firearms offenses.
What prosecutors allege
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Alfredo Cardona Padilla, Ceferino Charles Hernandez and Paul Gerald Simmons were charged by a federal grand jury with robbery and firearm offenses, as reported by Berks Weekly. The indictment alleges the men conspired to steal United States currency belonging to a company operating in Pennsylvania as a skill-game operator and that firearms were brandished during the robbery. Assistant U.S. Attorney K. Wesley Mishoe is listed as the prosecutor handling the case.
How the heist unfolded
Local coverage describes two security employees being held at gunpoint while suspects grabbed several cash boxes from a van parked outside the Spot Laundromat at the Southgate Shopping Center. Investigators later tracked the getaway vehicle using automated license-plate readers. Early reporting by WGAL said police eventually located the van at a tow yard and found evidence inside tying it to the robbery. That outlet’s reporting put the value of the stolen cash at more than $400,000.
Arrests and evidence
Reading Eagle reports that investigators found documents with one suspect’s name inside the getaway vehicle, and that Ceferino C. Hernandez was arrested in January 2025. According to that outlet, Alfredo Cardona Padilla is accused of acting as the getaway driver, and some of the cash boxes were discarded in different parts of Chambersburg, including areas around Caledonia State Park. Reading Eagle estimated roughly $270,000 was taken. Earlier local reports cited a higher number, and authorities have offered differing totals as the investigation has moved forward.
Legal next steps
An indictment is a formal accusation, not a conviction. The charges carry significant potential penalties if any of the defendants are found guilty at trial. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Chambersburg Police Department, the Reading Police Department and the Pennsylvania State Police, according to the U.S. Attorney’s announcement reported by Berks Weekly. Prosecutors say the case will proceed in federal court in the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
Why this matters
Beyond the headlines about a shopping-center stickup, the indictment highlights growing scrutiny of Pennsylvania’s largely unregulated “skill game” market, which investigators and journalists have linked to money laundering and other criminal activity in recent years. The Philadelphia Inquirer has documented related prosecutions and guilty pleas that help explain why regulators and law enforcement have sharpened their focus on the industry.
