FBI dubs local bank robber the “Risky Business Bandit”
By Elizabeth Marie Himchak
The FBI has linked four bank robberies among Rancho Bernardo, 4S Ranch and Carmel Mountain Ranch locations to a suspect the FBI has dubbed the “Risky Business Bandit.”
FBI Special Agent Darrell Foxworth announced on Thursday that a $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the suspect’s arrest and conviction. He said the amount — higher than the typical $1,000 offered by San Diego Crime Stoppers — is due to one of the victim banks putting up the reward money.
The first two robberies happened in the 4S Commons Town Center. On Friday, April 18 the suspect robbed the Point Loma Credit Union at 10413 Craftsman Way and almost a month later, on Tuesday, May 13, he targeted the Wells Fargo Bank at 10535 Craftsman Way. During both the suspect announced he was there to rob the bank by using his smartphone to display a message, according to Foxworth.
He added that the second stood out to him because the robbery occurred when the Bernardo fire was blazing in the area, just a few miles away from the bank.
The third occurred on Friday, June 27 when the suspect robbed the California Bank and Trust at 16796 Bernardo Center Drive in Rancho Bernardo. The most recent was on Friday, July 25, this time at the San Diego County Credit Union at 12330 Carmel Mountain Road in Carmel Mountain Ranch. During the latter two robberies the suspect made verbal demands for cash.
“A weapon has not been displayed or observed and no injuries reported to date during any of the ‘Risky Business Bandit’s’ robberies,” according to a July 31 FBI press release.
Based on witness descriptions and bank surveillance photos, the suspect is a white or Hispanic male, who is approximately 5-feet 8-inches to 5-feet 9-inches tall and weighs around 150 pounds. He has black hair and is estimated to be 20 to 25 years old.
During three of the four robberies he wore dark sunglasses and a black T-shirt. The last time he wore a black hooded sweatshirt. He sometimes wore a baseball cap.
Foxworth said the suspect’s youthful appearance and attire — especially the sunglasses — reminded the FBI special agent working the case of the Tom Cruise character in the 1983 movie “Risky Business,” hence the nickname.
According to Foxworth, giving suspects a nickname is a way to help the public identify and remember the individual. Nicknames are often based on physical characteristics.
When asked if the geographic closeness of the four robberies could mean the suspect is from this area, Foxworth said that is a possibility due to them occurring in “a pretty confined area.
“He could live or work in the area or be from someplace else but familiar with the area,” Foxworth said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the San Diego FBI field office at 858-320-1800 or San Diego Crime Stoppers at 888-540-8477. Photos of the “Risky Business Bandit” and other unsolved bank robbery cases can be viewed at
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