‘Bird Flu Bandit,’ ‘Chubby Robber,’ Other Catchy Nicknames Help FBI Nab Robbers

El Paso has two bank bandits on the loose, but FBI officials say that’s not too bad considering there are 14 bank and credit unions on record so far this year. They say an unusual tactic may be one reason they have caught so many of these criminals.

“We look for something that’s specific about that bank robber, something that would make you remember them,” Special Agent and FBI spokeswoman Andrea Simmons said. “A certain piece of clothing, something they wore, something distinguishable.”

For about the past two years, the FBI has taken to naming these bank and credit union robbers.

“So many times, it is the public who helps us catch these bank robbers,” Simmons said. “So whatever we can do to make it more memorable, we think it’s well worth it.”

This year, El Paso-area banks and credit unions have been robbed by the likes of the “Bird Flu Bandit,” the “Pint-sized Bandit,” and the “Chubby Robber.” Simmons is part of a group of agents tasked coming up with the catchy nicknames. Because robberies tend to happen so quickly, often in just a few minutes, investigators often only have grainy surveillance video and vague descriptions.

Simmons said for a city its size, El Paso actually has a relatively small number of robberies, but this just halfway through August, and the city is on one robbery shy of its total for all of last year.

“No one really knows why people commit crime,” Simmons said. “Lately people want to say that the economy has something to do with it, but if you look at 2007, there were 14 bank robberies and there were no economic issues then.”

What is concerning is the number of serial robbers. Agents charged the man nicknamed the “Dolce and Gabana Bandit” with one robbery, but said he is connected to two others. The “Bird Flu Bandit” has also struck three times, and he was armed with more than just a surgical mask.

“In all three robberies, he’s had a gun, which is something we don’t see very often in el paso,” Simmons said. “The chance of him turning very violent could happen quite quickly.”