Alleged “Puffy Coat Bandit” Indicted

Steven Dwayne Paulson, 46, the suspected “Puffy Coat Bandit,” was indicted today by a federal grand jury for seven counts of bank robbery. The Puffy Coat Bandit was linked to seven bank robberies that occurred between 12/20/11 and 1/9/12. Paulson was arrested on January 10, 2012, after a detective with the Upland Police Department detained a driver matching the description of the suspect who was driving a vehicle described by witnesses as a getaway vehicle used by the suspect. Further investigation resulted in Paulson’s arrest and he is currently being held in federal custody.

The FBI investigates bank robberies jointly with police and sheriff’s departments that have jurisdiction for cities in which bank robberies occur. This case was worked jointly by the FBI, the Upland Police Department, the Riverside Sheriff’s Department, the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Corona Police Department, Rancho Cucamonga Police Department, and the Glendora Police Department.

Paulson will be prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office, Central District of California (Los Angeles).