Three Utah Men Charged After Credit Union is Allegedly Robbed with a Hoax Explosive Device

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment charging three Utah residents with robbing a credit union after one of the defendants approached a teller, handed over a threatening note demanding cash, and claimed to have an explosive device in his backpack.

Thomas Domingo Bustos, 31, of Layton, Utah; Brelyn Sanchez, 37, of Ogden, Utah; and Fidel Ybarra, 52, of Riverdale, Utah, were initially charged by complaint on September 15, 2026.

According to court documents, on September 4, 2026, officers with the South Salt Lake Police Department and members of the FBI’s Violent Crime Task Force responded to a robbery that occurred in South Salt Lake City, Utah. The credit union teller reported a male, later identified as Ybarra, entered the credit union carrying a backpack and passed a note to the teller that demanded cash and indicated he was holding an explosive device in his backpack. Ybarra then opened the backpack displaying what appeared to be an improvised explosive device. As a result, the teller handed Ybarra $1,234.00. Ybarra exited the credit union and fled in a red Dodge Durango. Sanchez was later identified as the driver. Through surveillance video, law enforcement identified a second vehicle, a red BMW, in connection with the robbery. Both vehicles were registered to Bustos. The investigation revealed that Bustos planned the robbery, created the hoax explosive device out of fireworks and duct tape, and drafted the demand note. Sanchez and Ybarra then met up at a residence and Bustos took the money.

Bustos, Ybarra, and Sanchez are charged with credit union robbery. Their initial appearance on the indictment is scheduled for October 2, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. in courtroom 8.4 at the Orrin G. Hatch United States Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.

United States Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah made the announcement.

The case is being investigated jointly by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office’s Violent Crime Task Force, and South Salt Lake City Police Department.

Assistant United States Attorney Carlos A. Esqueda is prosecuting the case.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

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