Valentino Luchin, Renowned California Chef, Arrested For Robbing 3 Banks In 1 Day

Valentino Luchin, a renowned California chef, was arrested for allegedly robbing three San Francisco banks in a single day, according to the New York Post. Luchin passed handwritten notes to the bank tellers and demanded money on September 10. The 62-year-old was the executive chef at popular Italian restaurant Rose Pistola. He was also the owner of Ottavio in Walnut Creek, which closed in 2016.

The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) said in a press release that officers assigned to Central Station responded to a bank located on the 1100 block of Grant Avenue regarding a robbery activation on September 10 at approximately 12:02 pm (local time).

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The police learned that a male suspect entered the business and demanded money from an employee. "Fearing for their safety, the employee complied and provided the suspect with a bag of U.S. currency. The suspect then fled from the area with the money," the police said.

The police arrested Luchin without incident, thanks to community tips and the SFPD's "Ambassadors" programme. "With assistance from SFPD Ambassadors and leads from the community, investigators were able to identify the bank robbery suspect as 62-year-old Valentino Luchin of San Francisco. Further investigation revealed that Luchin lived in the Central District. Officers formulated a strategic plan that led to Luchin's apprehension without further incident."

"On the same day, two additional bank robberies occurred in the Central District involving a similar suspect description and modus operandi (MO). Officers determined that the suspect who committed these robberies was Luchin."

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Luchin faces multiple counts of robbery and attempted robbery and is held without bail pending a court appearance.

This is not the first time he has been jailed; he was arrested in 2018 for robbing a Citibank in Orinda. He allegedly stole $18,000 and used a BB gun. Last time, in a jailhouse interview with the East Bay Times, Luchin said, "At the time, I thought it was a good plan. But it was not."

"My action wasn't aggressive. It was a fake gun. I don't even know how to load a real gun," he was quoted as saying. "Desperation leads you to do things you never thought you were capable of."