FBI Posts Tale of Family's Armored Car Thefts
The Cabello family's crimes were undone by the agency, along with the IRS.
Stealing nearly $4 million in cash from armored car companies in three robberies, Archie Cabello, his wife, Marian, and their won, Vincent, were prime targets of the FBI, according to a two-part article posted by the agency. Their crimes began in 1995, but the agency initially couldn’t find enough evidence to charge them. So they contacted the IRS to find out whether their spending habits and tax returns made sense.
Two thefts occurred in Milwaukee and one in Portland, Ore.
"They were spending money they didn't have," Special Agent Kenneth O'Connor said in the agency's article. He joined the case in 2008 from FBI's Portland Division. “They bought things and paid rent and utilities with more than 50 credit cards, and then used money orders purchased with the stolen cash to pay off the credit cards." He contacted the Internal Revenue Service for assistance. "I knew the IRS was well-versed in that kind of work, and from the beginning, it was a great partnership."
Their investigation revealed the family had spent more than $245,000 between 2006 and 2009 but claimed less than $35,000 in income on tax returns.
The statute of limitations would have run out in December 2010, but a few days before, a federal grand jury handed down a 51-count indictment against them. Vincent and his mother eventually cooperated with authorities, including Vincent's identifying a safe deposit box the authorities hadn't been aware of.
"That was a critical point in the case," O'Connor said. "The safe deposit box was set up under an assumed name -- there was nothing that connected it to the family, and we hadn't discovered it."
Archie Cabello pleaded guilty in March 2013 and received a 20-year sentence. His wife and son received 15-month sentences, and the family was ordered to pay restitution of nearly $4 million.