Alan Fung Lau told people he was kidnapped by robbers who forced him to open ATMs around the San Mateo Peninsula. Federal prosecutors tell a very different story: they say the 44-year-old technician was in on the heist from the start, and that the entire ordeal was staged to cover up a scheme that pulled in more than half a million dollars.
An Inside Man With the Access Codes
According to The Mercury News, Lau is now facing a federal indictment on charges of conspiracy, bank larceny, wire fraud, and possession of stolen funds. Prosecutors allege Lau worked with 45-year-old co-defendant Jacky Ching Hang Pang and others to rob ATMs, and that Lau was the one who made it possible from the inside — he regularly fixed the very machines that were later targeted, and he allegedly supplied the access codes that let the robbers get in.
The charges include bank larceny and wire fraud. The wire-fraud charge is addressed by 18 U.S.C. § 1343.
Per the same account, the alleged robbery involved $567,190 in stolen funds. The indictment reportedly alleges that Lau was in league with the people who ultimately took the money, rather than being their victim, as he claimed.
Backpacks, Padlocks and a Staged Scene
Court documents cited by the outlet describe a trail of preparation before the alleged theft. Lau and Pang allegedly bought Mickey Mouse backpacks and padlocks at a Foster City apparel store on May 28, 2025, just days before the robbery itself. On May 31, 2025, Lau, Pang and others allegedly robbed ATMs at two locations on the San Mateo Peninsula, with the robbers wearing masks and gloves and allegedly coordinating with Lau beforehand. The alleged robbers also spray-painted security cameras at the scene, according to the report.
Afterward, Lau reportedly applied for workers' compensation. Prosecutors allege he claimed to have been a kidnapping victim rather than a participant.
Charges, Bond, and What's Still Unknown
Lau and Pang were indicted by a federal grand jury in mid-September and pleaded not guilty in court on September 22. Both men were released on bond that same day and are due back in court on November 2, per court records.
The allegations concern who participated in the theft and whether Lau’s reported kidnapping was staged.
Several questions remain open. Prosecutors have not named the other alleged co-conspirators referenced in the case, and it is still unclear exactly how investigators first unraveled the alleged scheme. For now, the case stands as an unusually elaborate twist on ATM theft — one where the person meant to protect the machines is accused of helping empty them, then dressing it up as his own victimization.
