Lean and Mean, Gaptoothed--and Wanted

Criminals in a series of recent Orange County bank robberies have done so much repeat business that investigators have given them nicknames.

The Floppy Hat Bandit is suspected of robbing at least eight banks, FBI officials said Thursday. Federal agents and local police officers also are looking for the Lean and Mean Robber and the Gaptoothed Bandit.

Investigators say the Floppy Hat Bandit, so named for his light-colored fisherman-style headgear, has hit World Savings and Washington Mutual branches in five cities in Orange County and also is wanted in connection with three bank robberies in San Diego County. He wears sunglasses and carries a black backpack during the heists.

The man, who police believe to be in his late 20s, on each occasion approaches a teller and demands money from the till.

In one robbery he yelled, “This is a takeover!” FBI agent Mark Hunter said, but he has never displayed any weapon.

“Other than the hat, he blends in pretty well,” Hunter said.

He is suspected most recently of having struck at the World Savings branch on Crown Valley Parkway in Laguna Niguel, Hunter said.

The Gaptoothed Bandit is wanted in connection with a string of bank robberies in Orange and San Diego counties, authorities said.

And the Lean and Mean Robber held up the Pacific Western National Bank in Brea last week by pulling a handgun from his pocket and demanding money.

Guns are increasingly rare during bank holdups, authorities said, perhaps because robbers know that using a weapon guarantees a sentence of at least five years if they are caught and convicted. An unarmed robber might be sentenced to as little as a year.

The FBI requests that anyone with information about any of the recent incidents or the suspects call investigators at (714) 542-8825.