Celebrity chef Valentino Luchin is accused of robbing three San Francisco banks on the same day last week.
Luchin, 62, faces multiple charges of robbery and attempted robbery for the spree, according to the San Francisco Police Department.
He allegedly passed notes to bank tellers and demanded money before fleeing each scene last Wednesday.
“Upon arrival, officers learned that the male suspect entered the business and passed a note to an employee demanding money,” police said in a news release. “Fearing for their safety, the employee complied and provided the suspect with a bag of U.S. currency.”
Police learned later that day that two other robberies with similar details and a suspect who matched Luchin’s description had occurred earlier. It’s unknown how much money was taken from each bank.
Luchin was identified as the suspect and apprehended at his home.
He was transported to San Francisco County Jail and booked on charges including robbery and attempted robbery, police said.
Luchin is the former executive chef at the Italian restaurant Rose Pistola, which closed in 2017. Another restaurant he opened, Ottavio, also closed. He allegedly conducted a similar robbery at a bank in the Bay Area in 2018, which he blamed on his “desperation” and money troubles.
“We’ve been struggling a lot financially and I have a family,” he told KGO that year. “It wasn’t something I was planning or doing for a living.”
“Mr. Luchin is in his 60s. He’s a talented chef and a kind person who recently found himself in a desperate financial situation,” San Francisco Deputy Public Defender Kwixuan Maloof said about the more-recent case. “The restaurant industry, as many are aware, has been especially difficult in recent years. The charges against him are totally overblown, and the government is trying to stretch the law to fit facts that simply are not there. We intend to challenge these charges and to expose the prosecutorial overreach in court.”
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