“Bad Hair Bandit” Bank Robber Apprehended

On Monday, August 15, 2011, the Placer County Sheriff’s office in California arrested Cynthia Van Holland, date of birth 12/24/1963, for bank robbery. Investigators on the FBI Safe Streets Task Forces in Seattle and Sacramento believe that Van Holland is the same person nicknamed the “Bad Hair Bandit,” who is responsible for up to 20 bank robberies across four states. Placer County Sheriff deputies arrested Van Holland and her alleged getaway driver, Christopher Alonzo, date of birth 08/14/1985, 12 miles from the Bank of the West in Auburn, California.

Around 2:25 p.m., a female had entered the Bank of the West and passed a note to a teller demanding money and stating that she was armed. She was given an undetermined amount of money and left the bank. Placer County Sheriff deputies were able to arrest Van Holland and Alonzo when their vehicle and license plate matched a description given by a witness.

Van Holland is suspected of committing or attempting bank robberies throughout Washington state and in Oregon, Montana, and California. Investigators learned from witnesses that the robber typically waited in line as a customer before each robbery, then produced a note to a teller in which she demanded cash and stated that she was armed. The Bad Hair Bandit earned her nickname for the variety of wigs she wore during robberies. Personnel in the FBI Seattle, Portland, Salt Lake City, and Sacramento Divisions, and in several local law enforcement agencies, collaborated on this investigation.

The following is a list of bank robberies or attempts attributed to the Bad Hair Bandit:

• US Bank, Tacoma, WA—12/22/2010 
• Key Bank, Tumwater, WA—01/05/2011 
• Key Bank, Tacoma, WA—01/12/2011 
• Wells Fargo Bank, Spanaway, WA—01/14/2011 
• Heritage Bank, Tacoma, WA—01/21/2011 
• Cathay Bank, Kent, WA—01/26/2011 
• First Security Bank, Redmond, WA—01/27/2011 
• US Bank, Auburn, WA—02/10/2011 
• Wells Fargo Bank, University Place, WA—02/19/2011 
• Sound Community Bank, Tacoma, WA—03/25/2011 
• Wells Fargo Bank, University Place, WA—04/09/2011 
• Cathay Bank, Bellevue, WA—04/21/2011 
• Wheatland Bank, Ellensburg, WA—04/26/2011 
• Key Bank, Moses Lake, WA—04/27/2011 
• Chase Bank, Spokane, WA—05/09/2011 
• Sterling Bank, Moses Lake, WA—06/07/2011 
• Key Bank, Lake Oswego, OR—07/01/2011 
• Yakima Federal, Richland, WA—07/18/2011 
• Bank of Butte, Butte, MT—08/11/2011 
• Bank of the West, Auburn, CA—08/15/2011  

The FBI continues to provide financial institutions with the best practices for security to make them less vulnerable to robberies.

If anyone has any information on the bank robberies above, or any bank robbery, please call the FBI Safe Streets Task Force at 206-262-2390; or, you can remain anonymous and earn up to $1,000 by calling 1-800-222-TIPS, the 24/7 tips line of the Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound.