S.D. Pair Sentenced for ‘Ninja’ Bank Robberies
A San Diego couple was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court for convictions in a series of armed bank robberies last winter.
James Wendell Whidden and Margaret Ann Whidden pleaded guilty in October to eight San Diego robberies between Dec. 8, 1989, and Feb. 14, 1990. The Whiddens and a companion were known to law enforcement agents as the “Ninja Bandits” because of the dark clothing, hoods and ski masks they wore.
James Whidden was sentenced to 30 years in prison, Assistant U.S. Atty. David Katz said. Margaret Whidden was sentenced to 15 years. The sentences, imposed by Judge Rudi M. Brewster, were made after a plea bargain, Katz said.
The Whiddens are serving a prison sentence in Las Vegas for robbing a bank there in 1990.
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