Man Held in 1 Heist Now Suspect in 16

A man arrested after allegedly robbing a Glendale bank two weeks ago while his family waited in a parked car, is a suspect in 16 other bank robberies in Glendale, Pasadena and Burbank, authorities said.

Frank Nakagawa, 35, of Glendale, was arrested Dec. 4 after allegedly robbing a Wells Fargo office on Brand Boulevard, police said. Witnesses told officers the robber simulated a gun in his jacket pocket and demanded money from a teller.

Nakagawa was arrested by Glendale police as he approached a car in the bank parking lot, where his wife, and two children--ages 3 and 9 months--were waiting for him. When he was arrested, he told officers his wife did not know anything about what he was doing.

Glendale police Sgt. Lief Nicolaisen said Nakagawa probably brought his family along because “it’s a great cover.”

“If you have a wife and kids in the car, you don’t exactly look like a bank robber,” the sergeant said.

The suspect’s wife, Nancy Nakagawa was held briefly but has not been charged. She told police that her husband frequently left her and the children waiting in the car, while he ran unknown errands.

“He always does stuff like that,” she told one investigator. “I don’t know why.”

Nakagawa was charged in federal court on Dec. 7 with one count of robbing a bank, but more charges could be filed soon, authorities said. A spokesman for the FBI said Tuesday that officials believe Nakagawa has robbed 16 other banks in Glendale, Pasadena and Burbank since July. Their investigation is continuing.