A Utah man claims threats against him and his family over a $19,000 casino loss ultimately led to him walking into a credit union carrying a fake bomb.

After his arrest, Fidel Ybarra told investigators Thomas Domingo Bustos picked him up on the morning of the robbery and told him he was going to “rob a bank” to settle what Bustos believed he owed.

Bustos, Ybarra, and Brelyn Sanchez, the alleged getaway driver, pleaded not guilty Friday (Oct. 2) to charges of credit union robbery and conveying false information about an explosive device.

On Sept. 4, Ybarra entered an America First Credit Union branch in South Salt Lake wearing dark clothing and carrying a backpack, according to an FBI affidavit. He handed a teller a note demanding money and claiming there was an explosive device inside the bag.

He then opened the backpack to display what appeared to be an improvised bomb.

The teller, believing the device could be detonated, handed over $1,234, which fell far short of the alleged debt. Ybarra allegedly fled to a waiting Dodge Durango driven by Sanchez.

When investigators later questioned Ybarra, he claimed Bustos had been holding him responsible for a $19,000 loss at a casino in West Wendover, Nev.

At a Murray apartment, Bustos allegedly removed fireworks from a bag and wrapped them in black duct tape taken from the back of a vacuum cleaner to make them resemble a bomb. He then allegedly dictated what Ybarra should write on the robbery note.

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