'Snowboarder Bandit' Gets 2 More Years For Orange County Bank Robberies
SANTA ANA (CBSLA.com) — The bank robber known as the "Snowboarder Bandit," who was already sentenced to nearly eight years in prison for bank heists in Riverside County, was given two more years for 10 bank robberies in Orange County.
Michael Brandon Franks, 31, of Riverside, earned the moniker the Snowboarder Bandit because of his youthful appearance and the knit hat and ski clothes he wore to disguise himself during his robbery spree.
Franks pleaded guilty in November to 10 felony counts of second-degree robbery and two felony counts of attempted second-degree robbery. He admitted to 10 holdups at nine banks in Orange County, taking in about $30,000 from Dec. 20, 2011, through March 21, 2012, according to prosecutors. The Schools First Federal Credit Union branch in Anaheim was robbed twice.
Franks was arrested at his home in Riverside May 4, 2012, following multiple tips generated by publicity about the holdups.
Since Franks was sentenced in February to seven years and eight months in prison for three Riverside County heists, Orange County Superior Court Judge David Hoffer crafted Franks' sentence so much of it will run concurrently with the time he is already serving. But the judge added two more years to the sentence.
Franks faces one more bank robbery case in Ventura County.
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