A third Texas man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for his involvement in bank burglary and bank theft conspiracies following thefts from two automated teller machines (ATMs) at banks in Ozark, Mo., and Springfield, Mo.
Nigel Dwane Luchin, 27, and Leo Smith, 21, both from Houston, Texas, and Christopher E. Merchant, 24, from Beaumont, Texas, were charged in a six-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo. Luchin was originally indicted on Dec. 19, 2023, and Smith was charged in a superseding indictment on Jan. 23, 2024. Merchant was added as a defendant in a second superseding indictment issued recently.
The federal indictment alleges that Luchin, Smith, and Merchant were involved in a conspiracy to commit bank burglary and a conspiracy to commit bank theft from Oct. 3 to Nov. 8, 2023.
According to the indictment, Smith stole a heavy-duty Dodge Ram truck from a parking lot in Springfield on Oct. 20, 2023. He allegedly drove the truck to Wood & Huston Bank in Springfield, where it was used to break open an ATM and steal money on the same day.
In addition to the conspiracy charges, Smith is charged with one count of bank burglary and one count of bank theft related to the incident at Wood & Huston Bank.
The indictment also claims that on Oct. 29 or 30, 2023, Smith assisted in stealing a heavy-duty Ford F-250 truck from a parking lot in Nixa, Mo. On Oct. 29, 2023, Luchin and/or Merchant allegedly purchased a tow chain. The truck and chain were then used by Luchin, Smith, and Merchant to break open and steal money from the ATM at Southern Bank in Ozark, Mo., on Oct. 30, 2023.
Luchin, Smith, and Merchant are also charged together in one count of bank burglary and one count of bank theft related to the incident at Southern Bank.
An affidavit filed in support of a criminal complaint on Nov. 6, 2023, states that the conspirators used a chain and two large hooks to dismantle the door of the ATM at Southern Bank by attaching the chains to the ATM and pulling them with the stolen Ford F-250. They reportedly stole $30,700 from the ATM and abandoned the pickup truck a short distance away after the theft.
Investigators reviewed surveillance videos from nearby businesses where the Ford F-250 was stolen. The footage allegedly showed the conspirators arriving in two vehicles—a Chrysler Voyager minivan and a Toyota Highlander—and leaving the area with the stolen pickup truck. Both vehicles were identified by a license plate reader and traced back to two car rental agencies in Houston. Later that same day, a license plate reader in Houston captured both vehicles traveling in the same direction.
During a search of the stolen pickup truck, Ozark police officers discovered Luchin’s Texas identification card on the driver’s seat, according to the affidavit.
The charges in this indictment are accusations and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting these charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose responsibility is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan. It was investigated by the FBI, the Ozark, Mo., Police Department, and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.
