Bank Robberies

Deepa Bharath Police are looking for two men they say were involved in two separate bank robberies in the city, officials said Thursday. One of the men has been identified as 45-year-old Hector Rodrigo Soto of Anaheim. Soto reportedly robbed First Bank on Harbor Boulevard on Aug. 1, as well as a bank branch in Fountain Valley on July 30. Police said he used a note and threat of a gun in both incidents. Soto may be staying in motels near the San Diego Freeway in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas, Costa Mesa Police Lt. Dale Birney said.

SANTA ANA – The Blue Note Bandit’s remarkable run is over, authorities said Friday. After a string of 15 bank robberies in Orange County during a two-and-a-half-month period, including in Costa Mesa, authorities on Wednesday arrested and booked David Andrew Camp, a 50-year-old unemployed salesman from Laguna Niguel, for allegedly committing the crimes. A team of FBI and Orange County Sheriff’s Department personnel arrested Camp on an unrelated warrant from Los Angeles.

A 24-year-old Los Angeles man turned himself in to the FBI during the early hours of Sunday after admitting to committing seven bank robberies in Orange County, including one at a Costa Mesa Bank of America branch on June 7, police said. It is not clear under what circumstances Alubar Altalac turned himself in to officials, but it could have something to do with his picture being broadcast on television Saturday, said Costa Mesa Police Lt. Dale Birney.

A Newport Coast man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of robbing a Newport Center bank at gunpoint, police said. The robber displayed a handgun and demanded money from a teller at the Bank of America branch at San Miguel Drive and Newport Center Drive at 11:45 a.m.; he left the bank with an unknown amount of cash, said Sgt. John Hougan. A witness who called police saw the robber ? who looked "suspicious" dressed in all black ? leave the bank. Police followed the man on a brief pursuit, which ended with his arrest at Mesa Drive and Irvine Avenue, Hougan said.

Three banks are offering a combined $15,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the so-called "Ho Hum Bandit," an unassuming young man who's suspected of a dozen bank robberies in the last five months, including two in Newport Beach. Citibank, Wells Fargo and U.S. Bank are offering rewards for information that would lead authorities to a man described by the FBI as a white man with brown hair, 25 to 35 years old, who stands between 5-feet-7 and 5-feet-10, and weighs 160 to 170 pounds.

COSTA MESA - Police are looking for a suspect who's been dubbed the Wrong Way Bandit. The man wanted by federal authorities for robberies around Orange County recently struck a credit union in Costa Mesa. The Wrong Way Bandit - described as a 5-foot, 9-inch Latino, between 30 and 40 years old - was seen at the NuVision Federal Credit Union, 2701 Harbor Blvd., at 10:40 a.m. Friday, according to a Costa Mesa police news release. In Friday's heist, the man brandished a handgun and demanded an undisclosed amount of cash, police said.

Newport Beach Police are asking for the public’s help tracking a man who robbed Pacific Premier Bank. The armed robber escaped Tuesday after he gave a teller a note about 4 p.m. that demanded money be put in his briefcase. Police Sgt. Evan Sailor said the department does not release how much is stolen in bank robberies. The suspect is a blond, white male in his mid-30s, 5-feet-10 and 200 pounds, Sailor said. The robber wore a black, hooded sweat shirt, faded black slacks and running shoes.

The Irvine Police Department was part of a law enforcement team that was instrumental in the capture of the "Snowboarder Bandit," a man believed to be the suspect in a series of bank robberies. Riverside resident Michael B. Franks, 29, was apprehended Friday night based on information obtained by the Orange County Sheriff's Department and the FBI, which worked closely with Irvine police to catch him, according to an FBI news release. The three agencies were part of a larger group known as the Bank Robbery Apprehension Team (BRAT)

SANTA ANA — The Blue Note Bandit’s remarkable run is over, authorities said Friday. After 15 bank robberies in Orange County during a two-and-a-half-month period, including at least two in Costa Mesa, authorities Wednesday arrested and booked David Andrew Camp, 50, an unemployed salesman from Laguna Niguel, for allegedly committing the crimes. A team of FBI and Orange County Sheriff’s Department personnel arrested Camp on an unrelated warrant from Los Angeles.

Police have identified a Santa Ana man they say robbed a Newport Beach bank at gunpoint three months ago. Authorities say Jaime Reyes Torres, 47, is the Doughboy Bandit who walked into the Wells Fargo Bank about 2:30 p.m. May 24 and approached a teller with a blue-steel, semi-automatic handgun in hand and demanded all the money from the drawer. The bank is at 21103 Newport Coast Drive in Newport Coast. Surveillance video at the bank shows a man police say is Torres, described as 5-foot-7, 180 pounds with black hair and brown eyes, walking into the bank with a black hat with the letters “DH” on it with a football helmet and a white cloth or shirt over his face and carrying a gun. He was wearing a gray T-shirt, gray gloves, blue jeans and black shoes, police said.

The Irvine Police Department was part of a law enforcement team that was instrumental in the capture of the "Snowboarder Bandit," a man believed to be the suspect in a series of bank robberies. Riverside resident Michael B. Franks, 29, was apprehended Friday night based on information obtained by the Orange County Sheriff's Department and the FBI, which worked closely with Irvine police to catch him, according to an FBI news release. The three agencies were part of a larger group known as the Bank Robbery Apprehension Team (BRAT)

COSTA MESA - Police are looking for a suspect who's been dubbed the Wrong Way Bandit. The man wanted by federal authorities for robberies around Orange County recently struck a credit union in Costa Mesa. The Wrong Way Bandit - described as a 5-foot, 9-inch Latino, between 30 and 40 years old - was seen at the NuVision Federal Credit Union, 2701 Harbor Blvd., at 10:40 a.m. Friday, according to a Costa Mesa police news release. In Friday's heist, the man brandished a handgun and demanded an undisclosed amount of cash, police said.

A man accused of stealing a nearly $1.4 million tax return check from billionaire Irvine Co. Chairman Donald Bren pleaded guilty Monday to one count of bank fraud. Federal prosecutors say Moundir Kamil, a 41-year-old convicted bank robber, obtained Bren's Social Security number, date of birth and other personal information and opened an account in Bren's name in February 2010 at an East West Bank branch in Cerritos. Bren, a 79-year-old real estate tycoon, is listed as Forbes' 64th richest person in the world and has an estimated net worth of $12 billion.

A convicted bank robber is scheduled to stand trial in November on charges that he lied to a bank to steal $1.4 million from Newport Beach's wealthiest man. Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles accuse Moundir Kamil, 41, of creating a fake driver's license and identifying himself as Donald Bren, the Irvine Co. chairman, then depositing Bren's $1.4-million federal tax return check into five different East West Bank accounts in February and March....

When you go to see films like "The Bourne Identity" you expect non-stop action. George Clooney has done his share of spy thrillers, including his Oscar-winning performance in the gritty "Syriana. " In "The American," he takes everything down to a slow simmer that is long on riveting suspense but short on the usual rip-snorting action. Clooney plays a professional hit man who also specializes in providing complex weapons to other assassins. It's apparent at the start of the movie that Clooney has now become a serious target himself.

Three banks are offering a combined $15,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the so-called "Ho Hum Bandit," an unassuming young man who's suspected of a dozen bank robberies in the last five months, including two in Newport Beach. Citibank, Wells Fargo and U.S. Bank are offering rewards for information that would lead authorities to a man described by the FBI as a white man with brown hair, 25 to 35 years old, who stands between 5-feet-7 and 5-feet-10, and weighs 160 to 170 pounds.

Police have identified the three people arrested this week in connection with a Newport Beach bank robbery as residents of Long Beach. Officers arrested Ronald Jordan, 40, Vishani Williams, 31, and Michael Monette, 38, on suspicion of being the three who robbed a Bank of America on East Coast Highway in Corona del Mar Tuesday morning armed with guns. Police said Jordan and Monette entered the bank and ordered everyone to the ground while they stole cash. The men escaped in a black Dodge Charger, which police tracked to Huntington Beach, said Newport Beach Sgt. Steve Burdette.

A Costa Mesa man was arrested Thursday afternoon on suspicion of trying to rob a local bank earlier in the week. About 3 p.m. police spotted Kenneth Lee Masoner, 40, near Newport Boulevard and 21st Street in Costa Mesa. Authorities had identified him through past booking photos as their suspect in an attempted robbery Tuesday morning at Chase Bank on 17th Street. Police said Masoner demanded cash from a bank teller and threatened her with a gun, though it’s not clear whether he was armed.

SANTA ANA — The Blue Note Bandit’s remarkable run is over, authorities said Friday. After 15 bank robberies in Orange County during a two-and-a-half-month period, including at least two in Costa Mesa, authorities Wednesday arrested and booked David Andrew Camp, 50, an unemployed salesman from Laguna Niguel, for allegedly committing the crimes. A team of FBI and Orange County Sheriff’s Department personnel arrested Camp on an unrelated warrant from Los Angeles.

SANTA ANA – The Blue Note Bandit’s remarkable run is over, authorities said Friday. After a string of 15 bank robberies in Orange County during a two-and-a-half-month period, including in Costa Mesa, authorities on Wednesday arrested and booked David Andrew Camp, a 50-year-old unemployed salesman from Laguna Niguel, for allegedly committing the crimes. A team of FBI and Orange County Sheriff’s Department personnel arrested Camp on an unrelated warrant from Los Angeles.