Phoenix, Arizona - On Monday, November 9, 2020, the Mesa Police Department arrested Maria Azevedo, 39, who was wanted by the FBI, without incident following a bank robbery. Azevedo is now facing charges in connection with eight bank robberies throughout Arizona and Utah since August 2020, including:
- August 22, 2020, U.S. Bank, 1855 North Power Road, Mesa, AZ
- August 25, 2020, U.S. Bank, 689 N. Redwood Road, Saratoga Springs, UT
- August 31, 2020, First Bank, 1550 North Gilbert Road, Gilbert, AZ
- August 31, 2020, Horizon Community Bank, 3156 East Baseline Road, Mesa, AZ
- October 1, 2020, U.S. Bank, 3185 W. Apache Trail, Apache Junction, AZ
- October 19, 2020, U.S. Bank, 5137 E. Baseline Road, Gilbert, AZ
- October 19, 2020, Desert Financial Credit Union, 1606 South Signal Butte Road, Mesa, AZ
- November 9, 2020, Desert Financial Credit Union, 4316 South Signal Butte Road, Mesa, AZ
In each instance, the suspect approached the victim teller and presented a demand note.
No one was physically injured during the bank robberies.
The FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force would like to thank the Mesa Police Department for their outstanding work on this case, along with Apache Junction Police Department, the Gilbert Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Arizona. We would also like to thank the Saratoga Springs Police Department and Salt Lake City FBI who investigated the Utah robbery with the assistance of the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force and the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Utah.
The suspect has been charged in a criminal complaint, filed in federal court. A complaint is only an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for Arizona at http://www.azd.uscourts.gov/ or on PACER at https://www.pacer.gov/.
The FBI Violent Crimes Task Force is comprised of the Phoenix Police Department, Peoria Police Department, Scottsdale Police Department, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office FATE team, Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, and the FBI.
Magistrate Number: 2:20-mj-09326