A 62-year-old California chef, Valentino Luchin, known for managing an Italian restaurant in San Francisco, is accused of robbing three different banks on the very same day.
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According to a release issued by the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), the incidents took place on Wednesday, September 10. At approximately 12:02 p.m., SFPD officers responded to a bank located on Grant Avenue in response to a robbery activation.
Upon arrival, officers learned that a male suspect had entered the bank and handed over a note to an employee. He was demanding money, as per the police. Fearing for their safety, the employee complied and handed over a bag with U.S. currency. After being notified, the SFPD Robbery Unit took over the investigation.
It was later determined that Valentino Luchin, a beloved chef, was the man who allegedly robbed the bank. However, authorities later learned that two additional Central District banks were robbed. The incidents involved a similar suspect and modus operandi, police said. It is alleged that Luchin was the man responsible for all three robberies.
Luchin was eventually arrested and charged with two counts of robbery and one count of attempted robbery.
Previous Alleged Robbery
Valentino Luchin, as reported by the East Bay Times, immigrated from Italy to the United States back in 1993. He went on to become a beloved chef, owning Ottavio in Walnut Creek and becoming an executive chef at Rosa Pistola.
However, after Ottavio was shut down, he went through financial struggles. And while his latest alleged robberies might be a shock to many, this is not the first time he has been embroiled in legal trouble.
Luchin was previously arrested in 2018 for allegedly robbing a Citibank in Orinda. Allegedly, while armed with a semi-automatic pistol, he demanded “large bills,” which were placed in a duffel bag, totalling $18,000. He is then accused of fleeing in a Mercedes.
He was later arrested and claimed, as per the outlet, that his alleged robbery “wasn’t aggressive” and that he had used a “fake gun.”
“I thought it was a good plan,” Luchin added. “But it was not.”
It is unclear if the chef was charged in connection with the 2018 incident.