‘Green Gaiter’ Serial Bank Robber Sought, Hits Orange County

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — Authorities are asking Orange County residents for help in finding a bank robbery suspect the Federal Bureau of Investigation has dubbed the "Green Gaiter Bandit."

The FBI announced this week the bandit is suspected in at least nine bank robberies and five attempted bank robberies in Orange and Los Angeles counties. He's called the "Green Gaiter Bandit" based on the face mask or neck covering that he has occasionally worn during the robberies, authorities said.

The "Green Gaiter Bandit" occasionally wears "a variation of workwear-style clothing," the FBI said.

“It should be noted that the suspect wears a variety of gaiters covering his neck and face in different banks on different dates, including a green one,” the FBI said. “He has also worn gaiters or a mask in other colors or designs as witnesses have described and as bank surveillance photos illustrate.”

The first robbery linked to the suspect was a Fullerton Union Bank struck in October. The bandit would go on a spree over the next three months, robbing nine banks and attempting to rob five banks across the Southland, the FBI said.

The banks the "Green Gaiter Bandit" targeted are in Fullerton, Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Torrance, Mission Viejo, Gardena and Placentia.

The robber usually gives a bank teller a note demanding money and sometimes asks for cash or “loose bills,” the FBI said.

“After receiving the cash or an attempt, the suspect has been seen fleeing the bank on foot,” the FBI said. He is described as a white man, between 50 and 60 years old and roughly 6 feet tall, with a “medium to heavy build” and gray hair.

The FBI, the Orange County Sheriff's Department and police departments in Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Gardena, Placentia and Torrance are all searching for the suspect.

Anyone with information about the identity of the "Green Gaiter Bandit" or his location can call the FBI at 310-477-6565.