POLICE IN the US have arrested an Irish immigrant whom they suspect of being the “Ho Hum Bandit” – so called for the casual manner in which he has robbed two dozen US banks.
Adam Lynch (34) – originally from Dublin and with an address in Corte Madera, California – is accused by the FBI of committing as many as 24 robberies across the US west coast.
He was arrested in Denver, Colorado, on Monday, and has been charged by a federal jury with one bank robbery so far.
The name “Ho Hum Bandit” was given to the robber because of his inconspicuous and laid-back method of robbing banks.
The robberies would usually involve simply handing the bank teller a note asking for money while telling them he had a gun.
The first robbery attributed to him occurred in Newport Beach, California, on February 26th, 2010, with the most recent last month in Colorado.
The “bandit” never wore any disguise or covered his face in any way other than wearing a peaked baseball cap. After being handed money, he would casually walk out the front door.
The “Ho Hum Bandit” even robbed the same banks twice, once doing so in the space of a month.
A reward of $15,000 had been raised by US banks and the FBI for information that would lead to his apprehension.
On Monday of this week, Mr Lynch was arrested by the FBI in Denver at a local Irish pub and charged with one count of bank robbery on March 16th, 2011.
In a statement, the FBI named Mr Lynch as the “Ho Hum Bandit” and said it was “investigating a large number of additional bank robberies in four states – California, Washington, Wyoming and Colorado – that may be linked to this charge”.
If convicted of the single robbery charge now before him, Mr Lynch could face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
“Lynch continues to be the subject of a criminal investigation into other bank robberies that he may have committed,” an FBI spokesman said yesterday. “The FBI has said that he could have committed as many as 24 robberies.”
In its initial statement, released earlier in the week, the FBI had said that “additional charges regarding those bank robberies is possible”.
Mr Lynch was arrested while in FaDo’s Irish pub in Denver with his girlfriend. Staff at FaDo’s yesterday evening said Mr Lynch was a regular and was well liked by the bartenders.
“He was a really nice guy, quiet, laid back. He would come in with his girlfriend all the time; a few times a week to watch the soccer,” according to Jen McDuffie, a manager in the pub.
Mr Lynch was the owner of a dog walking business, Four Paws, in San Francisco, 15 miles from his listed home address in California.