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A 38-year-old Downey woman thought to be the "Plain Jane Bandit" has been arrested. Sylvia Helen Garcia was taken into custody last night near her home, according to City News Service.Garcia is allegedly behind a series of eight Southern California bank heists, of which one of the most recent one was at a Chase bank in Cerritos.
A tip that came in after the media coverage of the robberies led authorities to Garcia, who is in the custody of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department while authorities work to determine if she will face state or federal charges, according to FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.
The "Plain Jane Bandit" has been successful in six of the eight robberies, and her m.o. is to simply--or plainly--stroll in, hand the teller a note asking for money, and then leave. She reportedly has never been armed or shown a teller a weapon, but she does sometimes say that she has an accomplice waiting for her outside. No accomplice was ever seen. Garcia's bandit "nickname," however is said to come from her "plain" appearance.