Sandeep Kaur
Sandeep Kaur (November 11, 1989) is a bank robber, stealing from four banks in 2014. Due to the method of robbery, passing demand notes to tellers stating she possessed a bomb, she was given the moniker, "The Bombshell Bandit".[1] She pleaded guilty to robbing four banks. She was sentenced to 66 months in prison and ordered to repay all monies she stole. [2]
Early Life:
Kaur was born in Chandigarh, India, and migrated to the San Jose, CA, U.S.A. with her family when she was seven years old.[2] She notes she was bullied and mocked at school due to racism and increased scrutiny of foreigners after the 9/11 attacks.[2] She felt additional isolation and abuse by her family, describing her family home as "a prison".[2]
During her late teenage years and early twenties, she graduated from nursing college and then worked three jobs, caring for elderly cancer patients, patients at a Sacramento hospital, and jail inmates.[3]
When she was 21 she visited Las Vegas, which began a gambling spree. In 2011, she quit working to focus on gambling. While she enjoyed strong wins early on, after time she began losing money and making higher bets. Eventually, she became indebted to the casino Bellagio and loan sharks.[3]
She worked 96 hours/week to pay off debts, but was still struggling to pay off bills when creditors found her. They suggested she rob banks to pay them off.[3]
Robberies
Her bank robberies and estimated theft amounts included[1][4]
- June 6, 2014 - Bank of the West, Valencia, CA. $21,200
- July 8, 2014 - Wells Fargo, Lake Havasu City, AZ. $1,978
- July 14, 2014 - Comerica Bank, San Diego, CA. $8,000
- July 31, 2014 - U.S. Bank, St. George, Utah. <recovered>
Capture and Sentencing
After chasing her 65 miles through three states at speeds up to 130 mph, police arrested Kaur on July 31, 2014.[3] Despite potentially being sentenced for up to 80 years in prison (20 years for each robbery charge), $250,000 in fines, and three years of post-prison supervised probation, U.S. District Judge Ted Stewart sentenced her to only 66 months in prison and monetary restitution, saying,"She amassed a large gambling debt and, in order to repay a loan shark, she robbed the banks. That conduct explains why she did what she did, but by no means justifies what she did."[3][4]
She was admitted into Folsom State Prison of California 11/2016 and is expected to be released 06/2021.[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "FBI and Local Law Enforcement Seek the Public's Assistance to Identify the Bombshell Bandit". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Mazumder, Sreeparna (2017-09-15). "Meet the Real-Life Simran, Sandeep Kaur, a Nurse Who Became the Bombshell Bandit". www.vagabomb.com. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "The rise and fall of the Bombshell Bandit". BBC News. 2015-04-28. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Jenkins, Kevin. "'Bombshell Bandit' sentenced in St. George". The Spectrum. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
- ↑ "The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation - CDCR". California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
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