U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation

In Reply, Please Refer to Release No.

2111 West Roosevelt Road Chicago, Illinois 60608 (312) 829-1199

March 20, 2007 TWO ARRESTED IN ST. CHARLES BANK ROBBERY   Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and James Lamkin, Chief of the St. Charles, Illinois Police Department (SCPD) announced today the arrest of JOSHUA S. HREHA, age 21 and CRYSTAL S. BASS, age 22, both of Carol Stream, Illinois. HREHA and BASS were arrested yesterday morning, without incident, by FBI Special Agents and Officers from the St. Charles and Carol Stream Police Departments at their residence, located at 736 Bluff in Carol Stream. HREHA and BASS were charged in a Federal Grand Jury indictment, which was returned on March 14th and unsealed yesterday, with the June 1, 2006 robbery of the Corporate America Family Credit Union (CAFCU), located at 1566 East Main Street in St. Charles. Two other individuals, identified as BRIAN L. NELSEN, age 22, of Carol Stream and STEVEN M. ROSS, age 21, of Hanover Park, were also charged with involvement in this robbery and will be summoned to appear in court at a later date. According to the indictment, HREHA, BASS, NELSEN and ROSS conspired together to stage a robbery of the CAFCU, where BASS was employed as a teller. The indictment further alleges that on June 1, 2006, NELSEN entered the CAFCU, approached BASS at her teller station and handed her a note announcing a robbery and demanding cash. After obtaining in excess of $38,000, NELSEN fled the area in a vehicle driven by ROSS. This robbery was investigated jointly by the Chicago FBI's Lisle office and the St. Charles Police Department. HREHA and BASS appeared in U.S. District Court in Chicago yesterday afternoon, at which time both were released on secured bonds of $100,000 and $10,000 respectively, pending their next scheduled court appearance. If convicted of the charges filed against them, all four individuals face possible periods of incarceration in excess of ten years. The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt and that all defendants in a criminal case are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. EDITOR's NOTE: Copies of the grand jury indictment filed in this case are available from the Chicago FBI Press Office at (312) 829-1199.

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