Texas Man Accused of Attempting to Rob an ATM Technician is Facing Federal Charges in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment today charging a Texas man with a violent crime after he allegedly attempted to steal cash from an ATM technician, while armed with a weapon.

Jawuan Donte Thomas, 22, of Texas, was initially charged by complaint on December 17, 2024, in Salt Lake County and taken into custody.

According to court documents, on December 17, 2024, Thomas attempted to rob a bank technician outside of a Wells Fargo Bank in Draper, Utah. That same morning, a detective with the Riverton Police Department was notified of an intentionally damaged and jammed Wells Fargo ATM in Riverton, Utah. During the investigation, the detective was notified of another intentionally damaged and jammed ATM in Draper. Through surveillance video, detectives ran a license plate that came back to a Jeep. However, the suspect vehicle was not the vehicle associated with the license plate. Shortly after, detectives located the suspect vehicle at the Wells Fargo in Draper. Detectives observed the occupants inside the vehicle pull into the bank parking lot and watch the ATM technician make repairs on the machine. When the technician opened the safe to the ATM, two occupants wearing ski masks exited the vehicle. One of the occupants, later identified as Thomas, was allegedly armed with a screwdriver. Detectives apprehended Thomas, but the other suspect fled in the vehicle.

Thomas is charged with one count of bank robbery. His initial appearance on the indictment is January 9, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.

United States Attorney Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah made the announcement.

The case is being investigated by an FBI Task Force Officer from the South Jordan Police Department. Valuable assistance was provided by the Riverton City Police Department.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.