Man Convicted of Bank Robbery

A man who tried to rob a Torrance bank in May, 1989, by handcuffing a phony bomb to a bank officer’s wrist was convicted Monday of federal charges that carry a minimum term of 20 years in prison.

Ralph Stephen Gambina, 43, also was convicted of holding an Orange County bank officer and her family at gunpoint overnight in the woman’s La Habra home in August, 1988, before he taped a fake bomb to her chest and ordered her to rob her employer. Gambina told the woman he would detonate the bomb and kill her son if she did not rob the Security Pacific bank branch in Buena Park. He ultimately escaped with $190,000 from the bank.

In the Torrance case, Gambina confronted another Security Pacific bank officer outside a branch in Del Amo Center. He handcuffed a briefcase to the woman’s wrist, telling her it was a bomb, and ordered her to rob the bank. Police arrived and arrested Gambina before the woman could do so.

Jurors in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles convicted Gambina on kidnaping, extortion, armed bank robbery and weapons charges. The charges carry a minimum term of 20 years, with a maximum of life in prison.