Date: April 19, 2024 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov U.S. District Judge Andrew P. Gordon sentenced three individuals for their roles in a series of bank heists in Las Vegas and laundering the illegal proceeds. Phillip Hurbace, Sylviane Whitmore, and Larry McDaniel were employees of a Las Vegas private vault business and used their positions to conduct banks heists resulting in the theft of $2.5 million worth of cash, jewelry, and watches from safe deposit boxes and private vaults. Hurbace was sentenced on April 19 to 37 months in prison with three years of supervised release for one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, one count of interference with commerce by robbery; aiding and abetting, and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property. Whitmore was sentenced on March 28 to 24 months in prison with three years of supervised release for seven counts of money laundering; aiding and abetting, one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, one count of interference with commerce by robbery; aiding and abetting, and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property. McDaniel was sentenced on March 15 to 13 months in prison with three years of supervised release for two counts of interstate transportation of stolen property. 2012 robbery According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Phillip D. Hurbace (of Calpine, California) was a former contractor for the private vault business and Sylviane Della Whitmore (aka “Sylviane Cordova,” of Las Vegas) was an employee of the business. They met and conspired to rob the business using information they knew. On April 14, 2012, the conspirators entered the business through an adjoining vacant suite, restrained an employee using handcuffs and duct tape, and used the crawl space above the ceiling to pass over walls. Once inside, conspirators drilled into safe deposit boxes and private vaults. They stole cash and personal property, including coins, jewelry, and watches. Whitmore subsequently deposited more than $250,000 of stolen money into her bank account, and Hurbace attempted to sell a stolen watch worth several hundred thousand dollars. 2014 break in In 2014, after the private vault business went into bankruptcy, Whitmore, and Larry Anthony McDaniel (of Las Vegas) planned another heist. They broke into safe deposit boxes and private vaults, stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash. Afterwards, McDaniel opened new bank accounts using nearly $700,000 in cash, and Whitmore deposited $190,000 into a trust account in her mother’s name. This case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tony Lopez and Mina Chang prosecuted the case.
