Three armored truck workers charged in scheme to steal money bag on lunch break
Share this @internewscast.com

SAN BENITO, Texas (ValleyCentral) Three armored truck workers were arrested after allegedly scheming to steal from their company while on their lunch break.

The general manager of Rochester Armored Company filed a police report on February 11. The manager told police that four days prior to his report, a money bag was stolen from a service truck while his crew was out to lunch.

From left: Reymundo Cerda, Gilberto De Leon and Benjamin Rudy Eckersley (Mugshots courtesy of the San Benito Police Department)

Upon further investigation, a San Benito Police Detective learned that two men who work for the armored company went out to lunch that day in a work truck.

The men, identified as Reymundo Cerda, 24 of Harlingen, and Benjamin Rudy Eckersley, 24 of Brownsville, broke company protocol by parking their work truck out of sight and leaving it unattended. Cerda, the driver of the truck, parked away from the Domino’s Pizza where they were eating lunch and instead parked near an ACE Loan shop.

Cerda and Eckersley went on break at the same time and left their vehicle unattended.

Authorities believe the two men were in cahoots with a third man, named Gilberto De Leon Jr., 30 of San Benito.

De Leon Jr. used a spare key to get into the truck and steal a money bag that contained $115,240, according to police.

De Leon Jr. was seen on surveillance video walking away from the truck with a “bulge under his shirt.”

Through their investigation, police learned that De Leon Jr. was the mastermind behind the theft and allegedly offered Cerda and Eckersley a cut of the money they stole.

Following the theft, the three men met at De Leon Jr.’s apartment in San Benito and split the cash, police say.

According to police, Eckersely was given $5,000 to keep quiet about the scheme, Cerda was paid $50,300 for his role and De Leon was left with the $59,940.

All three men were arrested Tuesday. They all confessed to knowing about the scheme.

De Leon Jr. was charged with theft of cargo and money laundering. He was issued a total bond of $350,000.

Cerda was charged with theft of cargo and money laundering and issued a total bond of $210,000.

Eckersley was charged with money laundering.

Both Cerda and Eckersley have been released on bond. De Leon Jr. remains jailed at the Carrizales Rucker Detention Center in Olmito.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

Biden Denies Claims of Mental Decline, Calling Them ‘Inaccurate’

Former President Biden on Thursday denied accusations that his mental acuity took…

Funding and Donations from the US Diminish for Tijuana Shelters

SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Migrant shelters in Tijuana are reporting a…

Trump Suggests Reducing Tariffs Ahead of US-China Trade Negotiations Resumption

WASHINGTON () Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is set to meet his Chinese counterpart…

Melania Trump Introduces New US Stamp Commemorating Barbara Bush

Melania Trump is giving a first look at a new stamp honoring…

Texas Barbecue Masters Deliver Michelin-Star Quality

() May marks National Barbecue Month, and American barbecue is getting global…

Bluffton Police Probe Series of Vehicle Break-Ins and Thefts

The Bluffton Police Department (BPD) is currently probing a string of vehicular…

Melania Trump Leads White House Ceremony for Barbara Bush Stamp Launch

WASHINGTON – On a rainy Thursday in the East Room of the…

American Cardinals Assert Pope Leo XIV’s Election Unrelated to Trump

() Two American cardinals pushed back on the idea that the conclave…

FEMA Chief Removed a Day After Stating Agency’s Elimination Isn’t Beneficial

The acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was fired…

‘Powerlifting Grandma Inspires with Her Active and Health-Conscious Lifestyle’

CHICAGO Ginger Mance is a Chicago area 74-year-old known as the “powerlifting…

Father of Wisconsin School Shooter Faces Arrest and Charges

() The father of a teenage girl who killed a student and teacher…

“‘Da Pope’ T-Shirts Celebrate Chicago Native Pope Leo’s Rise to Papacy”

CHICAGO (WGN) For the first time in the over 2,000-year history of…