‘British Bandit’ pleads guilty to serial bank robbery
SACRAMENTO — A man dubbed the “British Bandit” for using a flamboyant accent in two Sacramento-area bank robberies last year pleaded guilty Monday in federal court.
Investigators gave Patrick Edward Doherty, 32, of Boston, Mass. the nickname because tellers indicated he used an exaggerated British accent during his heists, said assistant U.S. attorney Michelle Rodriguez, who is prosecuting the case.
Doherty was charged in with robbing the Tri Counties Bank in Sacramento and a Bank of America in Davis. Both robberies took place in April 2009.
Doherty was arrested seven months later in November when investigators uncovered information regarding his modus operandi and linking his likeness to the surveillance photos.
He is scheduled for sentencing on June 21 at 8 a.m. He faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory sentencing factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Doherty has been in custody since his November 2009 arrest.
