Sacramento FBI Arrests Bad Beard Bandit, Who is Suspected of Robbing Eight Northern California Banks

SACRAMENTO, CA—Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Gerardo Orozco Lopez, 28, of Half Moon Bay—suspected of being the “Bad Beard Bandit”—for allegedly committing a series of eight bank robberies in California.
The Bad Beard Bandit struck eight separate Northern California banks over the course of four months and was prominently featured on the FBI’s wanted bank robber website (https://bankrobbers.fbi.gov). The suspect earned his nickname, Bad Beard Bandit, from the FBI because he wore a dark, costume beard of poor quality in an attempt to conceal his identity. While a weapon was reportedly not seen by victims at the banks, the suspect threatened that he had a weapon, increasing concern for the safety of bank personnel and patrons.
The Bad Beard Bandit was wanted for the following robberies:

• November 21, 2013: Bank of the West, 411 W. Main St., Ripon, California
• November 26, 2013: Chase Bank, 123 Spreckels Ave., Manteca, California
• December 3, 2013: Chase Bank, 691 W. 11th St., Tracy, California
• December 4, 2013: Chase Bank, 4520 Dublin Blvd., Dublin, California
• December 10, 2013: Citibank, 395 W El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, California
• December 18, 2013: Chase Bank, 5142 Stevens Creek Boulevard, San Jose, California
• February 5, 2014: Citibank, 2000 Geer Road, Turlock, California
• February 25, 2014: Citibank, 1995 41st Avenue, Capitola, California

The extensive FBI investigation and arrest is the product of efforts from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Capitola Police Department, Dublin Police Services, Manteca Police Department, Ripon Police Department, San Jose Police Department, Stockton Police Department, Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, Sunnyvale Police Department, Tracy Police Department, Turlock Police Department, San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Ho-Hum Bandit Pleads Guilty to Seven Bank Robberies

United States Attorney Laura E. Duffy announced that Adam Lynch pled guilty this afternoon in federal court in San Diego to seven counts of bank robbery. Lynch, dubbed the “Ho Hum Bandit” for his reportedly nonchalant manner in robbing banks, committed a string of bank robberies in San Diego beginning in February 2010. Lynch entered his guilty plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge David H. Bartick.
As described in his plea agreement, Lynch committed his first bank robbery on February 27, 2010, robbing a U.S. Bank in San Diego. He thereafter went on a spree of robberies in the area, committing his seventh on June 5, 2010. He robbed the same bank branch twice within the space of a week. Typically, Lynch would commit the robbery by walking up to the counter, passing a note to the teller, identifying himself as being armed, and demanding cash. He did not physically injure any of the bank personnel. Lynch’s robberies in San Diego were the start, but not the end, of his career. On May 6, 2013, in Denver, Lynch was convicted of four counts of bank robbery, based on robberies he committed in the Denver area in August 2010, December 2010, and March 2011; as well as a robbery he committed in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in November 2010. For those offenses, on April 19, 2013, Lynch was sentenced by a federal judge to 64 months in prison.
Lynch has been in custody since his arrest on April 21, 2011, and is set for sentencing on April 28, 2014, before U.S. District Judge Roger T. Benitez.
Defendant in Case Number: 14-CR-0182-BEN
Adam Lynch
Summary of Charges
Bank robbery in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2113(a)
Maximum penalties per count: 20 years in prison, $250,000 fine, term of supervised release of three years, restitution, and $100 special assessment.
Investigating Agency
Federal Bureau of Investigation