Irish ‘Ho Hum Bandit’ to plead guilty

An Irishman dubbed the Ho Hum Bandit will finally plead guilty to a series of bank robberies in the US.

Adam Lynch, 35, was arrested more than a year and a half ago after he confessed his crimes to his estranged girlfriend in a bid to win her back.

The ex-girlfriend immediately phoned the police to say she was with the Ho Hum Bandit, so named because the robber looked bored as he threatened bank staff, even yawning during one hold-up.

FBI agents and local police immediately descended on the Fado Irish pub in Denver, Colorado, and arrested Lynch.

Lynch, originally from north Dublin but living in the US for some years, appeared in federal court in Denver last week and signed an agreement pleading guilty to three bank robberies in Colorado and one in Wyoming.

He has also agreed to pay over $27,000 (€21,000) in restitution to a further seven banks, essentially admitting to robbing those institutions, though prosecutors promised he will not be charged in connection with those offences.

While he faces a maximum 20 years in a federal prison, prosecutors are recommending he be sentenced to anywhere between nearly five and just over 11 years. He faces a fine of up to $250,000 (€195,000). It will be up to the judge what sentence he will receive.

Lynch originally signalled his intention to plead guilty last year but backed out of an agreement, leading to his public defender lawyer stepping down from the case.

The bank-robbing spree, revealed in court documents, began in August 2010 and continued until March 2011, when he robbed a bank in Edgewater, Colorado.

He slipped a note, which read in part: “Give me $9,000, I have a gun, do no press the alarm, I want you to keep having a nice day.”

The court documents reveal the tellers were in fear for their lives, though no gun was ever shown.

During one robbery, of a bank in Wheat Ridge outside Denver, Lynch told the teller: “No dye packs, no alarms, anything funny and I will fucking hurt you.”

For the first time, details have emerged of how many banks the Irishman robbed, and over what period.

He was prolific, robbing eight in just two and a half months. The amounts taken were relatively small, none more than $4,000 (€3,100).

But despite his face being clearly seen in surveillance cameras, the Ho Hum Bandit remained at large — until a late evening phone call in April 2011.

Details of his one-time girlfriend’s involvement in his capture were revealed by a local Denver police investigator attached to an FBI task force and, in less detail, in court papers.

Adam Acierno described how the couple had been living together in rented accommodation but had split up, partly over money.

They decided to meet at the Fado Bar on Apr 18 to discuss their future. Mr Lynch decided to come clean about where he got $6,000 (€4,600) he had recently deposited in her bank account.

Ms Lundstrom went outside the bar and called the police, who then notified the FBI.