No Contest Plea for Peninsula Man in Bizarre Bank Robbery Attempt

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By Bay City News

A man pleaded no contest to a burglary charge Tuesday for demanding $20,000 in a bizarre confrontation with a teller at his Daly City bank in May.

Alexander Valera Jr., 32, of Daly City, was arrested shortly after the May 6 confrontation inside the First National Bank at 6600 Mission St., police and prosecutors said.

Just before noon, Valera walked into the bank and handed a note to a teller that said “Alex V. me $20,000. Cash now,” prosecutors said.

Valera had an account there, but didn’t have the funds to cover the large withdrawal. When the teller told him that, he got frustrated and said, “Do I have to jump over the counter to get it?” prosecutors said.

He eventually left in a silver Honda and a bank employee called police. Daly City police officers found and arrested him a short time later.

Valera was set to stand trial on attempted robbery charges, but at the last minute took a plea deal with prosecutors for one count of commercial burglary. He was sentenced to six months in jail but already has about five
months in credit for time served.

His defense attorney, Jeff Jackson, said today it was never Valera’s intention to rob the bank but he was very confused and the teller felt threatened by his behavior.

Valera’s behavior inside the bank made little sense, including identifying himself before purportedly trying to commit a robbery and trying to rob a bank where he had an account.

“It’s not how you would rob a bank in the first place. It didn’t make any sense really,” Jackson said. “He received a really fair resolution and accepted it without the consequences of having to lose a trial on attempted robbery.”

Police said when he was arrested they also found methamphetamine in his car. Drug possession charges were dropped in the plea deal.