U.S. Department of Justice
Federal Bureau of Investigation
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U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation |
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| In Reply, Please Refer to Release No. |
219 South Dearborn Street Chicago, Illinois 60604 |
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February 26, 2001 Chicago Fugitive Surrenders Kathleen L. McChesney, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), announced today that JULIO CESAR MENESES, age 31, formerly of 541 North Root Street in Chicago, surrendered to U.S. Immigration Agents at the International Border Station at Lardeo, Texas, late Saturday evening. MENESES was wanted by the Chicago FBI for the December 1997 robbery of the Bank of America branch, located at 1341 North Paulina. At the time of the theft, MENESES was employed by the bank as a teller. MENESES allegedly approached a co-worker who was working in the vault and pulled a handgun, announcing a robbery. After ordering the co-worker to the floor, MENESES removed nearly $200,000 in c ash from the vault. Before fleeing the bank, MENESES handcuffed the co-worker and placed a device on her back, which he indicated was a bomb that would explode if moved. MENESES is believed to have fled the Chicago area immediately after the robbery and has been the subject of an extensive international manhunt. His case was profiled last fall on "America's Most Wanted" and on "Voice of America" broadcasts in Mexico. He was charged with this robbery by a Federal Grand Jury in Chicago on May 17, 2000. MENESES is being held in Lardeo, Texas, pending his return to Chicago. The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt and that all defendants in a criminal case are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. |
