A West Valley City man has pleaded guilty to robbing a credit union after threatening a teller and escaping with nearly $3,700 in cash. Joseph Troy Ortega, 58, admitted to the robbery during a court hearing.
Court documents show that on August 28, 2025, Ortega entered a credit union in West Valley City and demanded money from a teller. The teller handed over $3,690 before Ortega fled the scene in his black Toyota Rav 4. Law enforcement officers later located Ortega and took him into custody. A portion of the stolen money was found inside an envelope in his vehicle.
Ortega is scheduled for sentencing on February 24, 2026, at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in Salt Lake City.
United States Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah announced the plea. The FBI Salt Lake City Field Office investigated the case, and Assistant United States Attorney Carlos A. Esqueda is prosecuting.
“This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).”
