Former Head Teller Captured After More Than Two Years on the Run

A former head teller, who allegedly embezzled more than $600,000 from a Virginia credit union and used Hollywood prop money to conceal his theft, was captured and arrested by North Carolina police after more than two years on the lam.

In the early morning hours of Monday, Sept. 10, 2018, Jorge Omar Navarro sent a text to his supervisor at the $221 million URW Community Federal Credit Union in Danville, Va. According to reports, his text read that he stole money from two branches and that he was sorry.

Since then, police had been searching for Navarro who worked at the credit union for 10 years.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia based in Roanoke said Navarro, 30, has been indicted with one count of embezzlement and one count of passing counterfeit U.S. currency to URW Federal Credit Union. Between July 2017 and September 2018, Navarro allegedly embezzled $617,000 from the credit union, replacing the stolen funds with counterfeit bills, prosecutors said.

On March 31, the former head teller was captured and arrested after Durham, N.C., police officers responded to a disturbance of gunshots at Navarro’s apartment where they spotted three spent ammunition cartridges and saw Navarro covered in blood. Though he attempted to flee, police stopped him and transported Navarro to a hospital for treatment, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Greensboro, N.C.

After obtaining a search warrant, police found more than 4,000 grams of cocaine, 1,263 grams of marijuana, two assault-style rifles, two pistols, a ballistic vest, thousands of dollars in cash, two electronic money counters, and multiple identification cards with Navarro’s picture and several variations of his name and dates of birth.

Initially, Navarro identified himself as Juan Martinez and told investigators he had been using various names and dates of birth because he believes he is wanted in Mexico for cocaine trafficking.

Navarro told investigators that two men came to his apartment, drew their guns and demanded money. He also claimed that he was struck in the head with a gun and tied up with a cord, according to court documents.

The criminal complaint indicated that Navarro may face charges of alleged intent to distribute cocaine and alleged possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.

There was no defense attorney listed for Navarro on the federal docket on Thursday. His plea hearings have not been scheduled yet.