Suspected Female Serial Bank Robber Arrested

PHOENIX, AZ—On Saturday, March 10, 2018, the Phoenix Police Department arrested Yolanda Young, 46, following a bank robbery at Desert Financial Credit Union at 6145 North 35th Avenue in Phoenix, Arizona. During the robbery, Young allegedly presented the teller with a demand note, received an undisclosed amount of money, and fled before she was apprehended.

Young was determined to be the subject of a February 26, 2018 press release in which the FBI was trying to identify a female bank robbery suspect.

Further investigation revealed that Young is a suspect in the following six bank robberies:

•  October 11, 2017 Academy Bank (inside Wal-Mart) 1607 West Bethany Home Road, Phoenix, Arizona
• October 26, 2017 Academy Bank (inside Wal-Mart) 1607 West Bethany Home Road, Phoenix, Arizona
• February 10, 2018 Academy Bank (inside Wal-Mart) 1607 West Bethany Home Road, Phoenix, Arizona
• February 10, 2018 Alaska USA Federal Credit Union (inside Safeway) 4750 East Indian School Road, Phoenix, Arizona 
• February 25, 2018 First Convenience Bank (inside Wal-Mart) 3721 East Thomas Road, Phoenix, Arizona
• March 10, 2018 Desert Financial Credit Union 6145 North 35th Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona

The FBI Violent Crime Task Force would like to thank the media and public for their help in this case, along with the Phoenix Police Department.

The suspect has been charged in a criminal complaint, filed in federal court. A complaint is only an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for Arizona at http://www.azd.uscourts.gov/ or on PACER https://www.pacer.gov/

The FBI Violent Crime Task Force is comprised of the PhoenixPolice Department, Scottsdale Police Department, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI.

FBI Seeks Information in Identifying Unknown Bank Robber

PHOENIX, AZ—The FBI’s Bank Robbery Task Force and the Glendale Police Department are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying an unknown bank robber who used a semi-automatic handgun in the robbery of the Arizona State Credit Union located at 8285 W. Union Hills, Suite 106 in Glendale, Arizona, on Thursday September 6, 2012.

The unknown male is described as 5’6”-5’7” tall, 160-170 lbs., medium build, mid 30s, tan shirt, brown pants, black cap (worn backwards), and black gloves. He wore a full flesh-colored mask with a dirty blonde, matted wig.

During the robbery, the unknown male entered the credit union and approached the teller counter. He showed a black semi-automatic handgun while demanding money from the victim tellers. He was given an undisclosed amount of money, then fled the credit union westbound on foot. No vehicle was seen.

The Bank Robbery Task Force is composed of the Phoenix Police Department, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, Mesa Police Department, and the FBI.

If anyone has any information regarding the identity of the individual responsible for the robbery of the Arizona State Credit Union please contact the FBI at 623-466-1999 or go to www.BanditTrackerArizona.com.

ATF Offers $10,000 Reward for Information Related to Detonation of Three Recent Improvised Explosive Devices

PHOENIX — Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Phoenix Field Division Special Agent in Charge Thomas Atteberry today announces a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the recent criminal bombings in Glendale and Phoenix, Arizona. ATF, FBI, Glendale Police Department, and the Phoenix Police Department are currently investigating these incidents.

Three Victim-Operated Improvised Explosive Devices (VOIEDs), contained within yellow plastic 6-volt handheld flashlights, exploded when victims found these apparently discarded items and tried the on/off switches in order to determine if the flashlights worked. Two of these incidents took place in Glendale, Arizona, on May 13 and May 14, 2012. The other incident took place in Phoenix, Arizona, on May 24, 2012. Five people received minor injuries related to the detonation of these three (3) devices. Further details about the IEDs will be withheld to avoid compromising the criminal investigation.

• May 13, 2012, Glendale, Arizona – The flashlight was left near a business and discovered in the landscaping area for the business. Two individuals received minor injuries.

• May 14, 2012, Glendale, Arizona – The flashlight was discovered in the landscaping area for a second business. One individual received minor injuries.

• May 24, 2012, Phoenix, Arizona – The flashlight was found by an employee of a Salvation Army Rehabilitation facility while sorting through donations to the Salvation Army. Two individuals received minor injuries.

"We are offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for these criminal bombings," said Thomas Atteberry, Special Agent in Charge of ATF. "Our immediate concern is that of public safety, if anyone discovers a flashlight that does not belong to them or appears out of place, no matter the color or shape, DO NOT attempt touch or manipulate the flashlight in any way. We are confident the public can assist in providing additional information.”

Anyone with information about this crime is encouraged to call ATF's toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-888-ATF-BOMB (1-888-283-2662).

Hothead Bandit Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison

PHOENIX—On April 23, 2012, the Honorable Susan R. Bolton sentenced Timothy John Kestle, 57, of Litchfield Park, Arizona, to 144 months in federal prison. Kestle pleaded guilty in January 2012 to four counts of armed bank robbery and one count of bank robbery. The FBI nicknamed Kestle the “Hothead Bandit” after he wore a hat with flames on the side during several of the bank robberies. Kestle robbed banks to fuel his drug and gambling addictions and had prior convictions for similar conduct in 1975 and 1996.

In 2009-2010, Kestle robbed a total of 17 banks in Phoenix, Goodyear, Peoria, Litchfield Park, Glendale, and Chandler. He typically displayed a pellet gun, or told bank tellers that he had a gun, and ordered them to “Hurry up.” During one robbery, he told a victim bank teller, “You will die; I will shoot; this is not a joke.”

Kestle was apprehended in June 2010 when an alert Peoria Police Sergeant spotted a truck similar to the one depicted in an FBI bulletin. The truck was distinctive because Kestle had pool cleaning equipment sticking out the back of it. The sergeant saw the truck parked next to a bank, later pulled over the truck for a traffic violation, and arrested Kestle.

This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Violent Crime/Bank Robbery Task Force, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, the Peoria Police Department, the Phoenix Police Department, the Chandler Police Department, the Glendale Police Department, and the Goodyear Police Department. The FBI has partnered with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, the Mesa Police Department, the Phoenix Police Department, the Scottsdale Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office to form the Violent Crime/Bank Robbery Task Force in order to investigate, arrest, and seek prosecution of those responsible for robbing banks in the Valley. The prosecution was handled by Christina Reid-Moore, Keith Vercauteren, and Jennifer E. Green, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Phoenix. For more information on Arizona bank robbery investigations, visit Bandittrackerarizona.com.