Crime & Safety

FBI Gets Ugly with Bank Robber Nicknames

"Plain Jane," who held up three banks in 24 hours, is the latest in a string of bandits given unflattering monikers by the FBI.

If you're sensitive about your looks, don't rob a bank. The FBI may brand you with an insulting nickname.

Consider a few examples:

  • The , so named because witnesses described him as rather bland in the looks department while he robbed banks in Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach.
  • The fashion-challenged , who wore a plaid shirt to two bank robberies, one in Mission Viejo.
  • The Geezer Bandit, who holds up banks with a gun and an oxygen tank but is spry when he needs to be, leading authorities to speculate he might be a younger man in disguise.

The latest victim of FBI name-calling is the Plain Jane Bandit, who struck in Orange County on Tuesday, her third bank heist in 24 hours.

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As with the "Ho Hum" stickup artist, Plain Jane's moniker is derived from witness descriptions – apparently, she is not a looker.

She's in good company. Other less-than-flattering bank robber names include the , who struck in Laguna Niguel, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and Lake Forest looking like a guy with a season pass to Bear Mountain. And don't forget the a middle-aged crook who twice hit San Juan Capistrano banks sporting a tattoo on his forearm and a generally sketchy vibe.

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Not all bandits are branded by their looks.

The was christened for his work ethic, terrorizing North Orange County by holding up three banks in one day before lunchtime.

Other robbers are named for their modus operandi. The got his nickname after Lake Forest and Dana Point heists in which he told clerks he needed the loot to help family members pay medical bills.

And the earned its label for robbing banks inside grocery stores in Seal Beach and Lake Forest - until one of the pair was shot after a high speed chase and manhunt, according to police.

As for Plain Jane, the FBI is asking the public’s help to make sure she doesn’t blend in. She was described as Hispanic, 35-40 years old, between 5-foot-3 and 5-foot-5 and about 160 pounds. She may have used a four-door silver vehicle with a sunroof to make her getaway.

She is also suspected of robbing two banks in Moreno Valley on Monday, a Wildomar bank Tuesday afternoon, and banks in Santa Fe Springs and Whittier in the last two weeks.

Anyone with information was urged to contact the FBI or their nearest
police agency.

—City News Service contributed to this report.


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