'Bad Hair Bandit' Sentenced For Bank Robberies In NorCal, 3 Other States
SACRAMENTO (CBS SF) - An Idaho prison nurse who committed a series of bank robberies while in disguise was sentenced to 10 years in prison Wednesday by a Sacramento federal judge.
48-year-old Cynthia Lynn Van Holland, a transient from Idaho and Washington was convicted in 21 bank robberies in California, Washington, Oregon and Montana, according to court documents.
Her last bank heist was at a Bank of the West branch office in Auburn, Placer County, where a witness was able to get a partial license plate of her getaway car, police said.
Van Holland was also ordered to pay more than $33,000 in restitution, according to a statement issued by United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner.
Investigators had dubbed her the "Bad Hair Bandit" because of the series of unusual wigs and disguises used during her bank robberies.
Van Holland worked as a licensed nurse for a company that contracted to provide care to inmates at the Kootenai County Jail in Idaho.
The case was investigated by the Sacramento Violent Crimes Task Force, which includes the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, according to Wagner.
In addition, the Placer County Sheriff's Office assisted in apprehending Van Holland, said Wagner.
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