Masterminds Convicted In Heists

Two California men were found guilty last month of engineering two interstate armed robberies at local credit unions in 2002 that netted almost $300,000.

Jonathan Hunter and Derrick McCreary, masterminded the two heists from their Los Angeles base by scouting out the credit unions, then recruiting Los Angeles gang members to serve as the gunmen, without participating in the robberies themselves, according to prosecutors.

The two were found guilty of planning a January 2002 hold-up at Tempe Schools FCU where $182,293 was stolen, and a robbery a month later at Safeway FCU where $106,470 was taken. McCreary traveled to Tempe to sketch out the CU floor plans and Hunter enlisted the gang members, then they drove the gangsters across the desert the night before the robberies.

In the hours before each hold-up the two stole a getaway car to facilitate the escape of their accomplices. The two men used text messages transmitted over cell phones to communicate their plans, some of which were used as evidence to convict them.

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