Indictment returned in $1.6 million United Coin heist

Two New Mexico brothers and a convicted murderer living in Pahrump have been indicted by a Clark County grand jury in the $1.6 million holdup of United Coin Co. in 1997.

Fain Gonce, 63, Richard Gonce, 59, and Eric Zessman, 44, will be arraigned later this month on charges that could result in life prison sentences.

The indictment charges the three with conspiracy to commit robbery, burglary, robbery and first-degree kidnapping with the use of a deadly weapon.

Chief District Judge Lee Gates set bail for the Gonces at $250,000 each and at $500,000 for Zessman, who was convicted of second-degree murder in 1976 and consequently is facing a parole violation charge in addition to the robbery counts.

The trio were arrested April 8 after a newly assigned Metro robbery detective renewed efforts to solve the case that had languished despite appeals for public help on the syndicated television show "America's Most Wanted."

Deputy District Attorney David Wall said Detective Tony Plew's review of security videotapes and a Secret Witness tip led him to conclude the masked bandits had inside help.

Police served a search warrant on the home of 55-year-old Kathryn Toledo, a former United Coin employee, and learned the names of the trio and their whereabouts.

Wall said the Gonces had changed their identities and were living in Quemado, N.M., about 150 miles southwest of Albuquerque.

The prosecutor said Toledo has agreed to cooperate with authorities under a grant of immunity.

Most of the stolen money has been recovered, Wall said, but as much as half a million dollars is still missing.

He told the judge that a high bail in the case is warranted to prevent the stolen money from being used to secure freedom for the three.

"We're concerned about not seeing these defendants again," Wall said.

Police said they recovered $200,000 in cash, gold and seized property in Pahrump, as well as evidence linking Zessman to the Gonce brothers.

New Mexico authorities said they seized $400,000 in cash, silver, property and weapons from the Gonce brothers' trailer.

The United Coin robbery occurred in the early morning hours when two men in ski masks and jumpsuits confronted a security guard and two female employees, who were smoking outside the company office at 600 Pilot Road.

All three were forced into the building, where one gunman stood guard over them while the other stuffed large-denomination bills into two duffel bags.

The two bandits then fled in a pickup truck driven by a third suspect.

archive