Irreconcilable Differences bandit strikes in Newport

A man wanted for 16 Southern California area robberies is now also wanted for hitting a Newport Beach bank Monday, making off with more than $800, police said.

At 12:30 p.m. the robber walked into the California National Bank, 901 Dover Drive, Newport Beach, and handed the teller a note demanding money, police said.

Investigators identified the man through a surveillance video of the robbery as the so-called Irreconcilable Differences bandit. He is wanted for a number of robberies in the Los Angeles area, Sgt. Lloyd Whisenant said.

The FBI gave him the nickname after the man’s first robbery in December when he told a teller at a Beverly Hills bank that he was “going through a divorce and that he needed help in wiring money,” according to FBI.

During the Newport Beach stick-up robbery the man carried what witnesses described as a small black vinyl bag, according to the FBI. Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI at (310) 477-6565.

— Kelly Strodl