Multi-State Bank Robber Pleads Guilty to 21 Counts

SACRAMENTO, CA—Cynthia Lynn Van Holland, 48, a transient from the states of Idaho and Washington, pleaded guilty this morning to 21 counts of bank robbery, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

According to court documents, Van Holland committed robberies in four different states and five different federal districts. During the early stages of the investigation, the Seattle Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation dubbed the perpetrator the “Bad Hair Bandit” because she used a series of unusual wigs and disguises in executing her bank robberies.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Sacramento Violent Crimes Task Force, which includes the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department. In addition, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office assisted in apprehending Van Holland. Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Rodriguez is prosecuting the case.

Van Holland is scheduled to be sentenced on October 10, 2012 by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller. Van Holland is facing up to 20 years in federal prison for each count of bank robbery. Any actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables and any applicable statutory sentencing factors.