FBI: ‘Bearded Bandit’ Let Clue Slip At 11th Bank Robbery

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said it has its first major break to catch a serial bank robber in Charlotte.

The robber, nicknamed "The Bearded Bandit," hit a bank in SouthPark early Friday. The FBI believes he’s behind 11 bank robberies in the last three years.

Agents said that although he wears an elaborate disguise, this time he was sloppy and they now know for sure that he is a white man.

Authorities said when the Bearded Bandit walked into the Bank of Granite on Sharon Road on Friday, a witness noticed that a portion of his neck wasn't covered by makeup.

FBI Public Affairs Specialist Amy Thoreson called the revelation a breakthrough.

“In the past, he's been described as being a white man, Hispanic, black,” she said.

But that one clue may not help investigators much. The new surveillance picture shows he again wore a wig, fake facial hair, glasses, a hat, gloves and even a padded suit.

Minutes after he pulled a gun on workers inside the bank, police converged on the outside to search on the ground and in the air.

It's been months since his last holdup. That was in November at a Wachovia bank on Coul-Oak Drive.

“There's not a definite rhyme or reason to how often he's robbing,” Thoreson said.

In all 11 robberies, the Bearded Bandit has had a gun. He’s threatened customers at times.

FBI agents hope the break they got Friday will help them track him down before someone gets hurt.

“We think someone knows he's doing this, and we're asking that person to come forward,” Thoreson said.

Anyone with information that could help authorities should call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.

Robberies Attributed To The Bearded Bandit

Clearview Federal Credit Union, 2830 Boyer Street, 07/07/2005 RBC Centura Bank, 14925 John J. Delaney Drive, 08/09/2005 RBC Centura Bank, 230 E. W.T. Harris Blvd., 10/19/2005 Wachovia Bank, 1527 W. Morehead St., 12/30/2005 First Citizens Bank, 7837 Pineville Mathews Road, 06/05/2006 RBC Centura Bank, 1000 East Blvd., 11/01/2006 First National Bank 529 South New Hope Rd, Gastonia 04/03/2008 RBC Centura Bank 14925 John J. Delaney Drive, 10/20/2008 RBC Centura Bank 1000 East Blvd. 10/30/2008 Wachovia 10210 Couloak Drive, 11/25/2008 Bank of Granite 3920 Sharon Road, 07/03/2009

Previous Stories: November 25, 2008: Serial Charlotte Bank Robber May Have Struck Again October 30, 2008: Serial Robber Dubbed 'Bearded Bandit' Strikes Again