Albuquerque Man Sentenced for Aiding and Abetting Armed Bank Robbery

ALBUQUERQUE – Christian Herrera 21, of Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced this morning in federal court to 37 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release for aiding and abetting the armed robbery of an Albuquerque-area bank.

Herrera was arrested in March 2016, on a criminal complaint charging him and four co-defendants, Greg Miera, 51, Martin Huertta, 43, Christian Herrera, 21, Christopher Gallegos, 33, and Isaiah Gallegos, 22, all of Albuquerque, with robbing the US Bank branch located at 5620 Wyoming Blvd. NE in Albuquerque, on March 30, 2016. According to the complaint, Albuquerque Police Department (APD) officers conducted surveillance as a vehicle with four men pulled up to the US Bank on the afternoon of March 30, 2016. Three of the men remained in the vehicle while the fourth entered the bank, threatened to shoot the bank employees, and demanded that two bank tellers place cash into a plastic bag.

Herrera, Huertta, Miera, Christopher Gallegos and Isaiah Gallegos were indicted on April 27, 2016, and were charged with bank robbery.

On Feb. 24, 2017, Herrera entered a guilty plea to the indictment. In entering the guilty plea, Herrera admitted aiding and abetting the armed robbery of the U.S. Bank branch on March 30, 2016, by acting as a lookout during the robbery.

Herrera’s four co-defendants have all entered guilty pleas and have been sentenced. Huertta pled guilty on Sept. 9, 2016 and was sentenced on March 14, 2017 to 108 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Miera pled guilty on Oct. 11, 2016, and was sentenced on June 8, 2017, to 78 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Isaiah Gallegos entered a guilty plea on April 25, 2017, and was sentenced on Aug. 15, 2017, to 37 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Christopher Gallegos pled guilty on Feb. 13, 2017, and was sentenced on Aug. 29, 2017, to 57 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.

This case was investigated by the Albuquerque office of the FBI and the Albuquerque Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Letitia C. Simms prosecuted the case.