A’s Bandit Receives 12-Years, 7 Months in Federal Prison

David Malley, the so-called A’s Bandit serial bank robber, was sentenced Friday to 12 years and seven months in federal prison for 23 bank robberies.

Malley, 22, was also ordered to repay $9,579 to banks after he is paroled.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Patrick O’Toole recommended to U.S. District Judge Judith Keep that she sentence him to 19 1/2 years in prison. His attorney, David Bartick, recommended a 10-year sentence.

The Probation Department had recommended a sentence of 33 years and nine months.

Malley pleaded guilty Oct. 8 to holding up eight banks, which authorities dubbed the A’s Bandit series because he wore an Oakland A’s baseball cap in the initial holdups.

Last week, he admitted responsibility for 15 of the 20 other bank robbery charges he faced. The judge said she considered that admission in his sentencing. The other five bank robbery counts were dismissed.

Malley gave an apology to the tellers he robbed, saying he knew it was “a traumatic experience.” He gave a general apology to the FBI, San Diego police and the U.S. attorney’s office.

He also told of his irritation with two unnamed accomplices in the series. He also said police did not believe him when he told them that two others were involved in the robberies, which began Feb. 5 and ended with his arrest April 26.

Malley’s attorney told the judge that Malley never displayed a weapon to the tellers and that he “set it up deliberately” so no one was injured in any of the holdups.

But O’Toole said Malley “needs to be punished for those few minutes of terror to all those bank tellers” and rejected the defense attorney’s description that no one was injured.

The prosecutor also said he was “troubled by the comments he made” in press conferences from the Metropolitan Correctional Center, when Malley initially denied responsibility for the crimes.

O’Toole unsuccessfully asked Keep to levy a $100,000 fine against Malley.

The judge concluded: “Mr. Malley, it’s been an interesting case. You are an interesting person. I was very impressed with your letter. You’re articulate. You’re bright. Good luck to you.”