Affidavit: Man stole $45K from nine Weld County ATMS

A man faces a felony charge for theft after police say he stole more than $45,000 from nine Weld County ATMS from June to December.

Twenty-three-year-old Nicholas Roberson turned himself into police April 3 after admitting to stealing over $40,000 from ATM locations at nine TBK Bank branches across Weld County, according to an affidavit for his arrest. The company Roberson worked for at the time — Hyosung — owned and serviced the ATMS.

He is charged in Weld County with suspicion of theft from $20,000 to $100,000 — a classfour felony, according to Colorado courts records.

Police began investigating Roberson on Feb. 16, when Evans police were dispatched to a bank in the 3600 block of 35th Avenue on a report of multiple ATM thefts. The reporting party — an ATM manager for the bank — told police that thefts had occurred from multiple branches across the county. In total, the ATM manager said $45,020 was stolen from nine ATM locations:

• $6,300 in Evans.

• $4,840 in Severance.

• $7,640 in Dacono.

• $8,160 in Keenesburg. • $2,580 in Mead.

• 3,900 in Milliken.

• $4,420 in Johnstown. • $4,360 in Hudson.

• $2,820 in Lasalle.

The ATM manager said the bank had been able to recover about $41,000 of the stolen money, according to the affidavit. Roberson told police he returned around $41,000, but the affidavit didn’t specify exactly how he returned the money.

The ATM manager showed police security camera footage from the Evans location — the only ATM with a secondary camera. It showed a man opening the hood of the ATM, taking money out and

putting it in his pocket, according to the affidavit. Police saw a still shot from the security camera and say it matched Roberson’s Department of Revenue photograph.

On April 2, the ATM manager told Evans police about a conversation she had with Yuma police about similar thefts that occurred in Yuma County. The affidavit didn’t specify how much police say Roberson is accused of stealing in Yuma County, but he was charged with theft from $5,000 to $20,000 — a classfive felony, according to Colorado court records.

After hearing from the ATM manager, an Evans officer contacted Yuma police about Roberson and learned he was employed by Hyosung — a South Korean manufacturing company that makes and services ATMS — during the thefts.

The officer also learned that Roberson wrote Yuma police a confession letter admitting to the thefts in both Yuma and Weld counties, according to the affidavit.

“I, Nicholas Roberson, took this cash to help pay student loans and stay on top of debt as well as help my family financially,” the letter read, per the affidavit.

Yuma police also mentioned that Roberson had admitted to the thefts when speaking with them the day prior, according to the affidavit.

Later on April 2, Roberson called Evans police and told them he had an agreement with his “security person” — though who this was exactly was not specified — in which he would pay back all the money and no charges would be filed, according to the affidavit. He added that he had already paid back “every penny he had.”

When asked, he told police he took about $40,000 from multiple locations. Police say he remembered the Evans location but wasn’t sure exactly how much money he had taken from that ATM.

He told police he would go to the Evans Police Department the next morning because he had nothing to hide and wanted to get everything taken care of, according to the affidavit. Police told him he would likely be arrested when he came in. They say Roberson called back the next morning saying he wouldn’t be coming in.

Roberson turned himself in to the Loveland Police Department later that day. He has a hearing on advisement June 4 in Weld District Court.