Elijah Salazar Sentenced To 5 Years In Prison For Bank Robberies
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4) -- Elijah Nathanial Salazar, 22, has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for robbing one bank -- and helping a 16-year-old boy rob a second bank -- both in Colorado Springs in 2018. Prosecutors say Salazar is a Rolling 60s gang member and was present at the second bank to make sure the 16-year-old suspect committed the robbery, as part of his initiation into the gang.
Prosecutors say Salazar robbed the ENT Federal Credit Union on Jet Drive on March 14, 2018. Witnesses said the robber was wearing a substantial amount of makeup during the robbery.
On March 23, 2018, the ANB Bank on Briargate Boulevard was robbed by a 16 year old. Investigators say the suspect wore makeup "in an attempt to make his complexion lighter." After he ran out with the money, bank employees locked the doors, keeping all the witnesses inside.
"The bank manager became suspicious that one individual inside the bank, later identified as Salazar, had tried to distract her during the robbery... acting in concert with the robber," prosecutors stated. "When contacted by law enforcement, Salazar also had makeup on."
After being searched, Salazar was arrested for possessing cocaine.
"Further investigation revealed that Salazar had accompanied the 16-year-old during the robbery and that Salazar's role was to make sure the minor robbed the bank," officials stated.
The 16-year-old robber was caught and held accountable for the robbery, according to United States Attorney General Jason R. Dunn.
"Because he was a minor at the time of the crime we can't go into additional detail," stated USAG spokesman, Jeff Dorschner.
A spokesperson with the Federal Bureau of Investigations told CBS4 that locking the lobby doors after a robbery is a tactic undertaken by bank security without any recommendation or dissuasion from the FBI. In this case, the result of locking the doors kept witnesses in place, but it also serves to prevent the robbers from re-entering the building.
