Three Texas men arrested in Phoenix-area 'bank jugging' case

Three arrested in Phoenix bank jugging scheme

Three Texas men face charges in Phoenix after allegedly tracking automated teller machine users to secondary locations to rob them.

MESA, Ariz. - Three men from Texas appeared in a Phoenix courtroom on Friday, all facing charges connected to "bank jugging." The scheme entails robbing people after they withdraw money from a bank, but striking at a secondary location.

The backstory:

The trouble originally started in Mesa last month. A victim reported being robbed of $2,600 in coins, which were stolen from a car shortly after the person left a bank.

Maricopa County Superior Court paperwork reveals that police tracked the suspects' car, a rental vehicle from Houston, using surveillance cameras. The same men were later spotted near a bank in Tempe during a second trip. In response, detectives set up a decoy, utilizing an undercover officer who left a bank carrying a bank bag.

Although the suspects eventually stopped following the decoy, they were arrested later just west of Phoenix.

What they're saying:

"It’s hard not to have someone watch you while you’re at the ATM because somebody else may be behind you," one bank customer reacted.

"We try to be vigilant and not [withdraw money] at night or in inconspicuous places that don’t have a lot of traffic around," another customer remarked.

"I think you just need to be completely aware of … people around you," advised one bank patron. "You don’t want somebody coming up and taking something that’s yours."

What's next:

While two of the suspects were released, they have been ordered not to leave Arizona. The third suspect, DeFredrick Johnson, is being held on a $10,000 cash bond for an earlier bank jugging incident. All three are scheduled to appear in court in the coming weeks.

What you can do:

Safety suggestions to combat bank jugging:

• Conceal cash quickly.
• Remain observant.
• Avoid distractions like cellphones or earbuds.