By Nathan Wright
Dana Point Times
Authorities say most bank heists are done by amateurs who are often easy to catch
The plan, in most cases, sounds more like amateur hour than the carefully executed heists made famous in the movies.
The craziest of the stories often make national headlines, like the one about the masked man in Ohio who waited in line to rob a bank on January 8 or the one about the Chicago man who in December wrote his demand note on the back of his own pay slip. Then there’s the one about the man who attempted to rob a bank in Massachusetts last March who realized too late that he knew the teller.
“Most bank robbers, according to statistics, don’t do a lot of planning,” said FBI spokesperson Laura Eimiller. “They often don’t use a disguise, and bank security cameras get very clear pictures that lead to identifications. Many are responsible for their own arrest.”
While not all bank robbery stories are as bizarre, most of Orange County’s 145 bank robberies in 2008—including three in Dana Point—follow the same basic plan. The robber, often working alone, walks into a bank, unarmed and without a disguise. He or she hands a teller a note demanding cash in plain view of bank security cameras, and then flees after the money changes hands.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI then arrive on scene, collect photographs and broadcast the heist to law enforcements agencies and media outlets throughout the United States. Investigators often give bank robbers nicknames based on appearance or habits, like the Banana Bandit who ate bananas during heists or the Wing Ding bandit who used the special font when typing out his demands for cash.
In most cases, it’s only a matter of time until evidence, or an informant from the public, leads directly to an arrest.
“We had a 73 percent apprehension rate last year,” said Jim Amorimino, spokesperson for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. “The FBI and our bank robbery apprehension team has been trying to put together a top 10 most wanted bank robbers list, but every time we try to put that list together someone else gets caught.”
Most of those apprehensions are made possible by bank security systems and tellers trained to be good witnesses. “The technology you see is amazing in comparison to what it used to be,” said Eimiller. “Agents can go to a bank and download pictures digitally. With a click of the mouse, they can send photos to agents all over the nation. In the 90s, agents would have had to sift through hours and hours of video tape. Now they can just get color photos that often show the robber’s face, clear as day.”
Unfortunately for taxpayers, approximately 80 percent of the money stolen is never recovered. The loss is taken not by the banks, but by the federal government, who insures the banks. In many cases, bank robbers flee with less than $10,000 and face 20 years in federal prison when caught.
Why do bank robbers take such large risks for so little money with so little planning? According to authorities, most suspects arrested are often suffering from addictions or facing financial emergencies.
“Most bank robbers are desperate individuals,” said Eimiller, who works out of the FBI’s Los Angeles office. “Many suffer from drug or gambling problems.”
Amormino believes that the increase in Orange County bank robberies in the past year—103 to 145—is a result of the worsening economy. “It’s a sign of the bad economic times,” he said. “Many either have mortgages or are involved in real estate. They either become a victim of the hard times or they’re drug users.”
The story hit home in South County in June of last year when resident James Frohling was arrested at his San Clemente home on suspicion of robbing two banks in Dana Point on May 23 and June 11. Frohling, named the Wing-Ding Bandit by the FBI for using the computer font in his demand notes, managed to steal only $1,350 from the Bank of America on May 23 and $4,200 from Union Bank and faces up to 40 years in prison, according to court documents.
Frohling had no criminal record at the time of his arrest.
In a report published by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, Frohling’s case appears to follow the national trend. “Most bank robberies do not appear to be well-planned offenses committed by professional criminals; instead, increasing evidence suggests that many bank robberies are spontaneous and opportunistic crimes that are often acts of desperation,” it says.
The report finds that 80 percent of all bank robberies are committed by solitary offenders, that 60 percent of robbers don’t bother with disguises and up to 72 percent of robbers are unarmed offenders who don’t use or even threaten violence.
Some are even apologetic, such as the note passed by a San Juan Capistrano man while robbing the First Bank & Trust of Laguna Niguel on January 27. “Basically, his note said he was sorry for robbing the bank and he was sorry if it made the teller have a bad day, and that he wasn’t a bad guy,” said Amormino. He was arrested minutes later when a deputy spotted him fleeing on his motorcycle near La Novia Avenue and San Juan Creek Road.
Even as he was arrested, he asked deputies if he could write one more note apologizing to the teller, and he did.
FIND OUT MORE
The FBI office in Los Angeles maintains an extensive website on LA area bank robberies on the web at www.labankrobbers.org. The site includes photos of bank robbers since 2005 with phone numbers for informants to identify suspects. The FBI also maintains statistics, facts and other resources for interested members of the public.
Bank Robber Lore
United States history has its share of famous bank robbers, including John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, Bonnie and Clyde, Ma Baker and Pretty Boy Floyd. These characters were made famous by the newspapers and their ability to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars while evading law enforcement.
Interestingly, these famous crooks paved the way for development of a more sophisticated FBI and all but put an end to career bank robbers. Increases in technology, partnerships between law enforcements agencies and involvement by the public and the media have led to arrests of a majority of bank robbers throughout the years.
South County Bank Robberies in 2008
Jim Amormino, spokesperson for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, counts 13 bank robberies in Dana Point, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano in 2008. The bandit suspected in each robbery is listed when available.
Dana Point
May 23: Bank of America (Wing Ding Bandit)
June 11: Union Bank of California (Wing Ding Bandit)
August 18: California Bank & Trust (Khaki Bandit)
San Clemente
Feb. 20: California Bank & Trust, now Union Bank of California on Pico
May 2: Wells Fargo (Pronto Bandit)
July 10: Bank of America (Mummy Bandit)
October 3: Union Bank of California inside Ralphs (Chatty Bandit)
November 7: Union Bank of California inside Ralphs (Chatty Bandit)
San Juan Capistrano
April 15: Bank of America (Rental Car Bandit)
June 25: Bank of America (Rental Car Bandit)
July 18: California Bank & Trust
December 4: Citibank (Empty Pockets Bandit)
December 17: Citibank
Bank Robberies in Orange County
2008: 145
2007: 103
2006: 113
2005: 102
2004: 116
2003: 100
2002: 107
2001: 128
2000: 139
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