DENVER — A Crime Stoppers tip led to the arrest of a 19-year-old woman who's suspected of robbing or attempting to rob eight Denver area banks between March and May of 2019, according to an arrest affidavit from the Denver Police Department.
On April 30, 2020, Brianna Casias, 19, pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery, which is a class three felony. Casias will be sentenced on May 18, according to the district attorney's office.
Casias had faced charges of robbing or attempting to rob eight banks over a period of several weeks in 2019 while wearing flamboyant disguises to conceal her identity, the district attorney's office said. As a result of those disguises, the suspect was dubbed the “Glamour Shot Bandit.”
The first robbery occurred on March 22 and the last one was on May 8. During each case, the suspect never spoke but handed the bank teller a hand-written note demanding 100’s, 50’s and 20’s. She also wore latex gloves, according to the affidavit. The total loss to the eight banks was $16,861.
In one case, the suspect, later identified as Casias, "pulled out a black semi-automatic handgun" in a "possible attempt to obtain even more money," the affidavit says.
Casias had been charged with the following, according to the Denver District Attorney's Office:
- one count of aggravated robbery
- one count of felony menacing
- one count of felony theft
- five counts of robbery
- two counts of criminal attempt to commit robbery
- one count of tampering with physical evidence
On April 18, 2019, Denver police learned of a tip to Metro Denver Crime Stoppers that identified the 'Glamour Shot Bandit' as Casias. Investigators searched law enforcement databases and found a previous mug shot of her from a case in Douglas County. Investigators compared the photo to security camera images taken from the various banks, the arrest affidavit said.
Despite the disguises, investigators noticed similar features including the shape of her nose, lips, and eyebrows.
Between March 22 and May 8, 2019, Casias is accused of robbing or attempting to rob the following banks:
- March 22: Vectra Bank, 3600 Quebec Street, Denver ($4,040 stolen)
- April 1: Key Bank, 6405 East Hampden Avenue, Denver ($2,213 stolen)
- April 5: Key Bank, 3410 East. 1st Avenue, Denver ($1,859 stolen)
- April 9: Liberty Savings Bank, 6460 East Yale Avenue, Denver (Attempt)
- April 9: First Bank, 8901 East Hampden Avenue, Denver ($851 stolen)
- April 9: TCF Bank, 18520 Green Valley Ranch Boulevard, Denver ($5,966 stolen)
- May 8: Bank of the West, 2050 South Downing Street, Denver (Attempt)
- May 8: TCF Bank, 2690 West Belleview Avenue, Littleton
According to the arrest affidavit, two stolen Honda Civics were used as getaway cars during all of the robberies.
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