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SALT LAKE CITY — Three people accused of attempting to blow up ATM machines in Salt Lake County now face federal charges.
U.S. Attorney for Utah John Huber announced Friday that Brian Winters, 32, Christopher Izatt, 33, and Guillermo Cruz, 34, all of Salt Lake County, have been charged with four counts of destruction or attempted destruction of property used in interstate commerce.
The three are accused in a rash of attempts in January to access ATM machines by using propane to blow them up.
• On Jan. 21, two men attempted to access an ATM at Zions Bank in Draper, 12271 S. 900 East, using an explosive. Police said there appeared to be burn marks on the machine and that someone attempted to use a crowbar, but could not access the ATM.
• On Jan. 19, two men put a propane tank next to an ATM at Chartway Federal Credit Union in West Jordan, 2089 W. 9000 South. They put a hose on the tank leading to the ATM, opened the tank, poured a trail of an accelerant leading to the tank, then lit it from just 50 feet away, according to West Jordan police. The fire quickly fizzled and the propane did not explode. The ATM was not damaged and no money was taken.
• On Jan. 7, A propane tank was set up next to the ATM at the Goldenwest Credit Union in West Jordan, 5639 W. Highlands Loop (7625 South), and ignited. The blast caused significant damage to the ATM.
• On Jan. 7, later that night after the previous incident, an open propane tank with a hose running into an ATM was found at American First Credit Union in Salt Lake City, 1799 S. Pioneer Road (2700 West). That attempt did not cause any damage.
Winters is charged in connection with the incident at Goldenwest and Zions. Izatt and Cruz are charged in connection with the incidents at American First and Chartway. Izatt was also charged in connection with the Zions incident.
The men have all made initial appearances in court and have a four-day trial scheduled for June 25. A judge has ordered that all the men remain in custody until then.
All three have extensive state criminal histories.
