Man Arrested on Suspicion of Robbing Multiple Banks Linked to Serial Bank Robber Known as the “Red Sharpie Bandit”
Suspected in 11 Heists in Orange County and California’s Central Coast Throughout 2009
| FBI Los Angeles December 23, 2009 |
A man who recently resided in both San Clemente and Las Vegas has been arrested for a series of bank robberies attributed to a bank robber known as the “Red Sharpie Bandit,” so named based on the red magic marker used during his robberies, it was announced today by law enforcement authorities with San Luis Obispo County, Santa Barbara County, and the FBI.
Anthony William Frisco, 44, was apprehended late last week by detectives with the Santa Barbara Police Department after detectives there received a tip generated from the media coverage on the case. Throughout 2009, an unidentified male subject meeting the description of the Red Sharpie Bandit was seen by witnesses and in various bank surveillance photographs, and is suspected in as many as 11 bank robberies at the following locations:
- 01/12/2009 Washington Mutual, San Clemente
- 03/16/2009 Downey Savings, Dana Point
- 05/11/2009 Chase Bank, San Clemente
- 09/01/2009 Rabobank, Pismo Beach
- 10/13/2009 Wachovia Bank, Seal Beach
- 10/27/2009 Chase Bank, San Luis Obispo
- 10/30/2009 U.S. Bank, Dana Point
- 11/09/2009 Wachovia Bank, Seal Beach
- 12/07/2009 Chase Bank, San Clemente
- 12/14/2009 Wells Fargo, San Luis Obispo
- 12/14/2009 Wells Fargo, Nipomo
Currently, Frisco is in custody at the San Luis Obispo County jail on an armed robbery charge. His bail has been set at $500,000. It is anticipated that Frisco will be charged with as many as four counts of armed robbery in connection with robberies in the cities of Pismo Beach, San Luis Obispo, and Nipomo.
The investigation into the robberies in Orange County is continuing and Frisco may face additional charges at the state or federal level.
The robberies in San Luis Obispo County were investigated jointly by detectives and agents with the San Luis Obispo Police Department, San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Department, Pismo Beach Police Department, Santa Barbara Police Department, and the FBI. Frisco is expected to be charged by the District Attorney in San Luis Obispo County. The bank robberies in Orange County are being investigated by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, the FBI, and police in the cities where banks were robbed.
A press briefing will be held at 11:00 a.m. today at the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Dept, Honor Farm Auditorium, 880 Oklahoma Ave., San Luis Obispo. The Honor Farm is located off Hwy 1 at Kansas Ave.