Serial bank robber is Irish immigrant says FBI

Adam Lynch the ‘Ho Hum’ bandit robbed 24 banks

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Adam Lynch, the ‘Ho Hum’ bandit

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The so-called “Ho-Hum” bank robber who is accused of committing as many as 24 bank robberies throughout the west coast of the U.S. is a Dublin native who faces 20-plus years in jail if eventually convicted of a string of crimes committed in four states.

Adam Lynch, 34, was apprehended by the FBI in Denver, Colorado on Monday evening at the FaDo Irish pub with his girlfriend. Lynch was, according to “The Irish Times,” a regular at the establishment, though his home address is at a location in Corte Maderia, California, 12 miles north of San Francisco.

The robber was named as the Ho-Hum Bandit because of the casual nature in which he carried out his crimes. He would turn up at the locations unmasked and dressed in plain garb, usually with a baseball cap concealing most of his head.

He would hand a teller a note saying he had a gun and demanding money, walking normally out of the establishment when his demands had been met.

“Lynch continues to be the subject of a criminal investigation into other bank robberies that he may have committed,” an FBI spokesman said on Friday.

“The Irish Times” reported on Saturday that the Irishman could be responsible for as many as 24 robberies, including multiple robberies at the same bank.

So far Lynch has been charged with one offense, a heist in Colorado on March 16 of this year.  But the FBI alleges that his crime spree stretches back to a February 2010 robbery of a bank in Newport Beach, California.

A report from the local NBC news station in San Diego says that Lynch was apprehended thanks to a tip from his girlfriend, who was allegedly upset that he was cheating on her and turned him in to authorities as punishment.

Lynch is alleged to have robbed banks in San Diego; Los Angeles; Denver; Cheyenne, Wyoming and Seattle, Washington.

Staff at FaDo’s pub told “The Irish Times” that Lynch, who owns a dog walking business in Corte Maderia, was a popular customer.

“He was a really nice guy, quiet, laid back. He would come in with his girlfriend all the time, a few times a week to watch the soccer,” said Jen McDuffie, a manager in the pub.

Lynch faces a jail term of 20 years and a fine of $250,000 if convicted on the single charge he so far faces.  The FBI had posted a $15,000 reward for information leading to the Ho-Hum Bandit’s arrest.

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