'Green Gaiter Bandit' Gets Prison Time For OC Bank Robberies

SANTA ANA, CA — A Torrance man dubbed by the Federal Bureau of Investigations as the "Green Gaiter Bandit" was sentenced to almost four years in prison Wednesday for robbing three Orange County banks.

U.S. District Judge David Carter sentenced Christopher Paul Daniels, 55, to 46 months in federal prison and ordered him to pay $15,362 in restitution.

Daniels pled guilty in April to robbing three banks in January: a Mission Viejo U.S. Bank, a Fullerton Chase and a Fullerton Bank of the West.

The FBI created the moniker for the suspected serial bank robber because he sometimes wears a green face mask or neck covering. The Green Gaiter Bandit, who is usually also clad in "a variation of workwear-style clothing," first struck in October and has been linked to nine robberies and five attempted robberies across the neighboring counties over the past three months.

Daniels would enter a bank and hand a teller a note demanding cash or "loose bills," the FBI said. After receiving the money, he would leave the area on foot.

At one point, the "Green Gaiter Bandit" was wanted in connection to a dozen robberies in Orange and Los Angeles counties.

Authorities eventually announced his arrest in March.

His sentencing puts an end to a massive investigation involving multiple law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and several Orange County police departments.

City News Service contributed to this report.