Las Cruces Police Department investigators identified Martinez from bank surveillance footage, including a distinctive tattoo on his right hand that matched photographs from a previous booking.
Source: Department of Justice
Cover Photo Courtesy: Las Cruces Police (via Facebook)
ALBUQUERQUE – A Las Cruces man was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison for robbing a Pioneer Bank branch in August 2025 and fleeing with more than $3,500.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court records, on August 4, 2025, Jacob Ezekiel Martinez, 32, entered Pioneer Bank on University Avenue in Las Cruces wearing dark clothing and a mask partially covering his face. Martinez approached a teller and handed her a handwritten note threatening violence if his demands were not followed. The teller gave Martinez $3,513 in cash, and he left the bank with the money.
Las Cruces Police Department investigators identified Martinez from bank surveillance footage, including a distinctive tattoo on his right hand that matched photographs from a previous booking. The following morning, law enforcement found Martinez in the back seat of a vehicle parked outside a Las Cruces residence and arrested him. Martinez, who had shaved his head since the robbery, had arrived at the residence the previous night and told others there that he had $3,500 in cash.
Martinez pleaded guilty to bank robbery. Upon his release from prison, he will be subject to three years of supervised release.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Special Agent in Charge Justin A. Garris of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office made the announcement today.
The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Las Cruces Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Grant B. Gardner prosecuted the case.
You must be logged in to post a comment.