Case 070: Victor Gerena | Seven Million Reasons to Run

It was one of the largest armored car robberies in U.S. history—an inside job that shook Wells Fargo and launched a manhunt spanning decades. In September 1983, Wells Fargo guard Victor Manuel Gerena betrayed his post in West Hartford, Connecticut, drugged and tied up his co-workers, and vanished with nearly $7 million in cash.But this was no simple heist. Investigators soon discovered that Gerena’s theft was linked to Los Macheteros, a Puerto Rican independence group accused of financing their political cause through robberies and violence. Over the years, federal agents tracked and arrested several of Gerena’s alleged accomplices, including Norberto Gonzalez Claudio, yet Gerena himself remained a ghost.For decades, the FBI has pursued leads pointing toward Cuba, where Gerena is believed to have lived under protection, making him one of the bureau’s longest-running fugitives. Alongside the hunt for Gerena, the case sparked debates over surveillance, sealed court documents, and the intersection of political activism with criminal enterprise.From betrayal to political intrigue, this is the story of the guard who walked away with millions—and disappeared into history.This is Fugitive Files. Let’s get into it.