On March 31, 2024, Easter Sunday night, one of the largest cash thefts in California history took place at a San Fernando Valley money storage facility. Located on Roxford Street, the GardaWorld facility is a money storage unit for businesses all throughout Southern California.  The owners of the building were not aware of the theft until they accessed the vault the following Monday morning.

The perpetrators breached the building through the roof of the Gardaworld building right above the vault. The burglars then broke into the vault where the money had been stored. The burglars fled the scene with $30 million in cash without alerting the building security system. 

Scott Andrew Selby, co-author of Flawless: The Largest Diamond Heist in History, aided in the investigation process of the scene. 

“If it was $30 million in $100 bills, that would be around 660 pounds, which is a lot of weight to move out of the building,” Selby said. “If the bills were smaller, then it would be even heavier. It’s not something that would fit on the passenger seat of your vehicle.”  

Although it remains unclear on how they avoided activating any alarms in the building, federal and local authorities were called in order to investigate the crime scene and gather evidence. It was brought to light that only a few select individuals had knowledge of money being stored within the building. The break-in was described as elaborate, which led to the conclusion that it was a highly-experienced burglar crew.

“All the markings of a really well-thought-out job” said Selby when describing the crime scene. “With touch DNA, the slightest mistake can expose the identity of a member of the crew, leading authorities to eventually identify their associates.”

Authorities are looking into whether or not the stolen money is traceable, depending on serial numbers and if the cash was already through circulation. Federal sources state that investigators will attempt to complete a full accounting of the missing cash. 

Currently, the case remains unsolved and the culprits are still out there.