According to the San Francisco Police Department, 62-year-old Valentino Luchin targeted three different banks across the city on 10/9 by handing tellers handwritten notes demanding cash.

Police received the first robbery report from a bank near Grant Avenue in Chinatown around noon on 10/9. Upon arrival, a teller reported that the suspect had slipped her a note demanding cash, which she complied with out of concern for her safety.

After receiving a bag of money, the suspect fled. Police have not disclosed the amount stolen.

The investigation quickly identified Valentino Luchin as the suspect and linked the Italian chef to two other bank robberies in the downtown area on the same day after discovering similarities in the suspect's description and method.

The 62-year-old chef was arrested later on 10/9 and charged with two counts of robbery and one count of attempted robbery. He remains in custody at the San Francisco County Jail pending formal charges.

San Francisco police displayed some of the evidence recovered, but did not disclose the total amount stolen. Photo: San Francisco Police Department

San Francisco police displayed some of the evidence recovered, but did not disclose the total amount stolen. Photo: San Francisco Police Department

This is not Luchin's first encounter with bank robbery accusations. He was arrested for allegedly robbing a Citibank in Orinda, California, of 18,000 USD in 2018. Security footage showed a man wearing a hooded sweatshirt, sunglasses, and white gloves, wielding a plastic pellet gun.

Following his 2018 arrest, Luchin stated in a jailhouse interview that he robbed the bank out of "desperation" after the collapse of his Walnut Creek restaurant, Ottavio.

"I thought it was a good plan, but it wasn't," he said, adding that he never intended to hurt anyone.

"My actions weren't aggressive. It was a fake gun. I don't even know how to load a real one," Luchin claimed. He also stated that he wrote apology letters to the tellers he threatened.

Valentino Luchin was formerly the chef at Rose Pistola, an Italian restaurant in San Francisco, and owned Ottavio in Walnut Creek. Photo: Facebook

Valentino Luchin was formerly the chef at Rose Pistola, an Italian restaurant in San Francisco, and owned Ottavio in Walnut Creek. Photo: Facebook

Born in the Veneto region of Italy, Luchin immigrated to the United States in 1993 and quickly became a rising star in the culinary world. However, after Ottavio permanently closed in 2016, Luchin faced significant financial burdens, and his life spiraled out of control. Bankruptcy records indicate that Luchin and his wife were behind on payments for over 111,000 USD in debt and had only 27,000 USD in assets to their name.

Before his legal troubles, Luchin built a strong reputation in the culinary scene, working in top restaurants worldwide, specializing in menu design and culinary management, according to Take a Chef. He was the head chef at Rose Pistola, an Italian restaurant in San Francisco, known for blending traditional Italian cooking with innovative techniques.

Tue Anh (according to Nypost, ABC News)