Suspected Serial Bank Robber Caught Gambling at Chicken Ranch Casino Hours After Heist

A suspected serial bank robber who enlisted a rideshare driver as an unwitting getaway accomplice was arrested calmly gambling at a California casino less than six hours after hitting a bank in downtown Modesto.

Robert Vincent Mendez was playing at Chicken Ranch Casino in Jamestown on Oct. 2 when detectives, working with casino security, moved in to arrest him. Police said they found some of the stolen money on his person.

Earlier that day, at around 5:14 p.m., a man alleged to be Mendez robbed the Bank of Stockton on J Street, according to the Modesto Police Department.

Your Friend With a Car

Police said the suspect approached a teller and handed over a note demanding money before leaving with an unspecified amount of cash. He fled on foot into a nearby alley, where he changed his appearance before summoning a rideshare to take him out of the city.

Officers working with Modesto’s Real-Time Crime Center tracked the vehicle and stopped its driver, who told them the passenger had already been dropped off.

Detectives obtained a search warrant for records from the rideshare company, which helped establish Mendez’s identity. Investigators also connected him to a Sept. 30 robbery at a U.S. Bank in nearby Turlock, citing similarities in the robberies and the suspect’s distinctive tattoos.

The investigation eventually led them to Chicken Ranch Casino, operated by the Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians of California.

Police said Mendez admitted committing both recent robberies during questioning and claimed responsibility for others that authorities had not previously known about. Those additional claims remain under investigation.

History of Heists

The suspect has a documented history of bank robberies across the West Coast. In November 2009, a federal judge in Tacoma, Wash., sentenced Mendez to 87 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to three robberies in Washington.

A Justice Department news release from the time said Mendez also faced indictments over four bank robberies in Oregon. Prosecutors said he typically approached tellers wearing dark clothing and a low hat, then presented a demand note while implying he was armed.

In one robbery, his note reportedly instructed a teller to put the money in a bag and added: “Have a nice day.”

In the latest case, Mendez was booked into Stanislaus County Jail on suspicion of bank robbery, commercial burglary, and narcotics possession.