A banker and his wife planned to flee to Uruguay after stealing nearly $259,000 from his job, authorities in the southeastern Brazilian state of Espirito Santo have revealed.
Eduardo Oliveira, 43, was accompanied by his wife, Paloma Tolentino, 29, and was seen with a box containing the money after finishing his shift at a Banco do Brasil branch in the municipality of Vitoria on November 14, surveillance video showed .
Oliveira, who had worked at the bank for 12 years, could be seen approaching a security guard in the lobby and greeting him before heading for the exit.
Investigators discovered that Oliveira and Tolentino had planned the robbery in advance and were able to change the bank vault password.
The couple loaded up all their belongings and moved into a new home in Vitória on Saturday, using some of the money to pay off some of their personal debts.
On Monday, Tolentino visited a car dealership and attempted to purchase a Jeep Renegade with $12,700 cash, but was told by a salesperson that they could not process the cash-only transaction.
She told the worker that she had money at a bank branch and visited the financial institution, where Oliveira was already waiting for them.
As part of the plot, Tolentino and Oliveira were made to believe they did not know each other so they could process the car purchase.
Brazilian bank employee Eduardo Oliveira and his wife Paloma Tolentino were arrested Monday, just four days after robbing the Banco do Brasil branch where he worked. The couple was 150 miles (243 kilometers) from the border with Uruguay when they were captured
Eduardo Oliveira carries a box full of the money he stole from a branch of the Banco do Brasil where he worked in Vitória, Brazil, as he followed his wife out the door on November 14.
The bank became suspicious when Oliveira didn’t show up for work on Monday and didn’t answer any of their calls.
Another manager at the branch alerted police to the robbery after noticing money was missing from the safe.
Authorities paused the investigation when they discovered Tolentino had deposited $12,700 into an account Monday afternoon that was used to purchase a brand new Jeep Renegade.
Investigators visited the car dealership and were able to obtain the vehicle’s license plates.
Oliveira and his wife loaded their dog and cat into the SUV and drove about 2,167 kilometers to Santa Cruz, a city in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul.
They were only 150 miles from the border with Uruguay when they were intercepted by the Federal Highway Police.
Footage filmed by police shows an officer searching the trunk of the vehicle and removing a suitcase loaded with 70,700 euros, $41,490 and $131,596 in Brazilian currency.
“The discovery and expertise of the police in identifying that this money was used to purchase a car and quickly realizing that this car was in Eduardo’s name greatly assisted in the arrest and recovery of the money,” said police officer Gabriel Monteiro. who supervises the Specialized Investigation Department and the Specialized Bank Robbery Unit.
Paloma Tolentino (left) and her husband and bank manager, Eduardo Oliveira (right), face three charges: receiving stolen goods, persistent theft and attempted foreign exchange evasion
Authorities recovered 70,700 euros, 41,490 dollars and 131,596 dollars of Brazilian currency
Authorities were able to return all the money to the bank and return the vehicle to the car dealer.
They also sought about $3,400 from Oliveira’s ex-wife, who said the money was part of a divorce settlement.
“At the police station he reserved the right to remain silent, but with all this evidence there is no doubt that he wanted to flee with the money,” Monteiro said.
‘This caused some surprise, because it involved a person who held a high position at the bank, with a good salary.’