Community
Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
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Suspects Arrested for Bank Jugging
| Nature of Incident: | Suspects Arrested for Bank Jugging | ||||
| Report Number: | 26-70882 | ||||
| Location(s): | 1000 block of E. Avenida De Los Arboles, Thousand Oaks | ||||
| Date & Time: | June 3rd, 2026 @ 12:15 PM | ||||
| Unit(s) Responsible: | East County Investigations Bureau – Commercial and Residential Burglary Unit, and Special Enforcement Unit Torrence Police Department |
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| (S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent | City of Residence | Age | |||
| (S) Francisco Javier Nieto Mosquera (S) Ricardo De Jesus Melendez Rodriguez |
Los Angeles Los Angeles |
45 44 |
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| Narrative: |
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| On June 3rd, 2026, deputies assigned to the city of Thousand Oaks responded to a theft call outside a convenience store located in the 1000 block of E. Avenida De Los Arboles. Upon their arrival and through video surveillance in the area, deputies learned a male subject forced entry into a parked vehicle and took $14,000 in US Currency, which the victim had withdrawn earlier from a local bank. This is a crime commonly referred to as “Bank Jugging”. “Bank Jugging” typically involves criminals targeting individuals who withdraw large sums of cash from banking institutions. In many cases, suspects observe customers either inside or outside the bank and identify potential victims based on behavior consistent with cash withdrawals, such as carrying bank envelopes. The suspects then follow the victim to a secondary location (such as a home, parking lot, or business), where they wait for the individual to leave their vehicle unattended. Once the opportunity presents itself, suspects forcibly enter the vehicle and steal the cash left inside. After learning of the reported crime, detectives with the Sheriff’s East County Investigations Bureau – Commercial and Residential Burglary Unit (CRBU) responded to the location and took over the investigation. During the follow up investigation, investigators learned the suspects followed the victim from a bank in the area of Janss Road and Moorpark Road. When the victim arrived at the above-mentioned convenience store and went inside, one suspect watched the victim while a second suspect forced entry into the victim’s vehicle and stole the money the victim had just withdrawn. As the investigation continued, investigators identified (S) Francisco Javier Nieto Mosquera and (S) Ricardo De Jesus Melendez Rodriguez as suspects. They also learned the suspects had been involved in similar crimes in the city of Torrance, including victimizing an elderly female who was in the process of transferring approximately $700,000 in US Currency and personal property. On July 9th, 2026, investigators with the East County Investigations – CRBU and Special Enforcement Unit, located both suspects in the city of San Dimas and took them into custody for the crimes being investigated. Detectives from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and the Torrance Police Department then served a search warrant at the residence associated with Mosquera and Rodriguez. During the search, investigators located gold and jewelry belonging to the victim of the bank jugging that occurred in the city of Torrance. (S) Fransico Javier Nieto Mosquera was booked at the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility for violations of PC 459 – Burglary, 182(a)(1) – Conspiracy, and PC 466 – Possession of Burglary Tools, and is currently in custody with a bail set at $50,000. Ricardo De Jesus Melendez Rodriguez was booked at the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility for a violation of PC 182(a)(1) – Conspiracy, and is currently in custody with a bail set at $20,000. Both arrestees are scheduled to appear in court on 07/13/2026. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office urges community members to remain vigilant and take the following precautions when conducting financial transactions:
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| Prepared by: |
Sergeant Richard LaSecla |
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| News Release Date: |
July 13th, 2026 |
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| Media Follow-Up Contact: | Detective Timothy Sperber 805-371-8396 [email protected] |
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| Approved by: Booking Photo Release: |
Captain Albert Ramirez YES NO |
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Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
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Address/Location
Ventura County Sheriff's Office
800 S Victoria Ave
Ventura, CA 93003
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 805-654-9511