$15,000 reward posted for ‘Ho Hum Bandit’ arrest

Three banks are offering a combined $15,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the so-called “Ho Hum Bandit,” an unassuming young man who’s suspected of a dozen bank robberies in the last five months, including two in Newport Beach.

Citibank, Wells Fargo and U.S. Bank are offering rewards for information that would lead authorities to a man described by the FBI as a white man with brown hair, 25 to 35 years old, who stands between 5-feet-7 and 5-feet-10, and weighs 160 to 170 pounds.

The suspect is nicknamed the Ho Hum Bandit because of his unassuming, casual demeanor during the robberies, and he typically wears baseball hats, blue jeans, white sneakers, white shirts with collars and prescription glasses, FBI officials said.

Despite the nickname, the Ho Hum Bandit has been anything but relaxed in the pace of his alleged heists. The FBI lists him as their man in seven San Diego bank robberies, four Orange County robberies and one in Riverside County, all dating to Feb. 27.

He robbed the same Corona del Mar Citibank, at 3021 E. Coast Hwy., on June 11 and July 23.

In each robbery, the bandit presented a note demanding money from the teller, and walked out with the cash. Anyone with information on the Newport Beach robberies is asked to call police at (800) 550-NBPD.