FBI
PRESS RELEASE
LOS
ANGELES FIELD OFFICE
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11000 Wilshire Blvd C Los
Angeles, CA 90024 C
310-996-3343, 3804, 4402 C www.losangeles.fbi.gov
For Immediate Release: March 28, 2007
MAN WANTED FOR IMPERSONATING
FBI AGENT TO COMMIT ARMED BANK ROBBERY SURRENDERS IN RENO, NEVADA
A man wanted for impersonating FBI Agents to
rob banks four years ago turned himself in at the U.S. Courthouse in Reno, Nevada,
yesterday afternoon, it was announced today.
The man, Joseph Case Burgum, 52, of Riverside
County, California, surrendered
to federal authorities in connection with the four year old bank robbery
investigation into the identity of the “Impersonator Bandit.” The name was generated in 2003 by the FBI
when an unidentified male robbing banks allegedly
impersonated actual FBI Agents as a ruse to gain the confidence of bank
managers at banks in Anaheim, California; Scottsdale, Arizona, and
Santa Barbara, California. The following is a description of the bank
robberies.
On 5/1/03, an unidentified white male dressed in
business attire entered and robbed the Wells Fargo Bank on 222
South Harbor Blvd. in Anaheim, California. The
bandit had identified and gained the trust of the branch manager the previous
day by identifying himself as an actual FBI Agent. The bandit did this by presenting a fake
badge and a business card, which had the name of an actual Los Angeles-based
FBI Agent, to the manager. The bandit continued
the pretense by displaying wanted flyers he may have printed from the FBI’s website,
alleging he was seeking the individuals whose photos appeared in the flyers who
were suspected of robbing area banks. The
bandit then proceeded to handcuff the bank manager to what the bandit described
as an explosive device. The device was attached to a handcuff which he fastened
to the bank manager’s wrist. The bandit also
displayed a remote control which he indicated could be used to detonate the device
up to twenty miles away. The man was
dubbed “The Impersonator Bandit” by the FBI and bank surveillance photos were
posted on the FBI’s website.
On May 30,
2003, a man
with the same description and using the same modus operandi as the Impersonator
Bandit entered the Wells Fargo Bank, 4167 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, California.
The bandit identified himself as an FBI Agent using the name of an
actual agent stationed in St. Louis, Missouri.
In this robbery, the bandit also displayed what appeared to be a black
revolver in a waistband holster.
On
07/11/2003, a man with the same description as the Impersonator Bandit
entered the First Bank & Trust, 3304 State Street, Santa Barbara, California, and identified himself as an FBI
Agent. The man displayed wanted flyers
to a bank teller and asked to see the manager but appeared to become impatient
while waiting. The man told the teller
he would return and exited the bank.
Last
year, the FBI developed information identifying Burgum as the possible man
known to law enforcement as the “Impersonator Bandit.” After a lengthy investigation, Burgum was recently
charged in a sealed criminal complaint in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.
Based on the charges, a warrant was issued for Burgum’s arrest. Burgum unexpectedly surrendered to federal
authorities yesterday afternoon in Reno, Nevada, and is being held in federal
custody.
Burgum
will be afforded an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Reno, Nevada, today, where he will charged with
one count of armed bank robbery. It is
anticipated that Burgum will be transferred to Los Angeles to face prosecution by the United
States Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles.
This is a continuing investigation.
The
FBI’s Los Angeles and Phoenix Field Offices received assistance from officers
and detectives with the Anaheim Police Department and the Orange County
Sheriff’s Department, as well as Agents with the U.S. Marshals Service and Agents with
the FBI’s Las Vegas Field Office.
CONTACT:
FBI:
Laura Eimiller
U.S. Attorney’s Office Media Relations:
Thom Mrozek:
213 894-6947
Assistant United States Attorney: Anne Gannon: 714
338-3548