A former security guard at a Palmdale bank is set to be sentenced Monday for helping stage the armed robbery of $200,000 from a customer.
Tyjana Grayes, 25, of Palmdale, pleaded guilty in January in Los Angeles federal court to one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery.
According to the indictment, in January 2024, a couple deposited a check for $315,301 into a Chase Bank branch in Palmdale. A bank employee informed the pair that they would have to come back to pick up the cash — as the bank did not have that large amount of currency. The couple was told they would be contacted when it was time to pick up the cash.
Grayes, who was then an armed guard working for a private security company hired by the bank, learned of the planned cash pickup via a teller. Grayes informed co-defendants Jerry Wimbley and Roman Isaiah Smith about the pickup so they could rob the victims, prosecutors said.
Federal prosecutors stated that on Feb. 9, 2024, Wimbley and Smith, both Lancaster residents, drove to the bank branch and waited in the parking lot while the victims obtained $200,000 from the bank.
During work, Grayes sent a series of text messages and phone calls to a co-conspirator regarding the location of the victims when they arrived at the bank. The co-conspirator relayed the information to Wimbley and Smith, so they could prepare to rob the victims, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
As the couple was leaving the bank with the cash, Wimbley and Smith exited their vehicle with semiautomatic handguns, threatened to shoot the victims, and stole the money, court papers allege.
From Feb. 10, 2024, through March 8, 2024, Wimbley laundered the money at a local casino, according to an affidavit. Wimbley allegedly purchased about $34,500 in gambling chips and cashed out roughly $168,700. During five visits to the casino, the defendant is suspected of having cashed out about $89,700 without purchasing any chips.
In addition, on Sept. 18, 2024, Wimbley, a convicted felon, illegally possessed a .40 caliber pistol and various types of ammunition, according to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Grayes, Wimbley, 23, and Smith, 25, were charged in October 2024 in a seven-count indictment. Wimbley and Smith are expected to face trial next year.