A bank robber and a man who acted as his driver and lookout have admitted to carrying out a series of hold-ups in Long Beach and Orange County.
Chad Dupape, 29, of Fountain Valley and Vincent Edward Wilson, 53, of Long Beach pleaded guilty to multiple counts of armed robbery during a hearing Tuesday at the federal courthouse in Santa Ana, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
FBI officials had previously attributed the robberies to the “Bladed Bandit,” named for brandishing a large knife during the hold-ups. Dupape, who admitted to being the “Bladed Bandit,” also acknowledged showing a teller a handgun during one of the bank robberies, federal prosecutors said.
Dupape admitted to robbing a Chase Bank branch in Seal Beach on Jan. 2, getting away with more than $21,000, and a U.S. Bank branch in Fountain Valley on Jan. 18, escaping with about $3,800, according to court records.
He also admitted to attempting to rob a Farmers & Merchants Bank branch in Long Beach and a Wells Fargo Bank branch in Fountain Valley, both on Jan. 16.
Wilson admitted to driving Dupape to the Chase Bank and U.S. Bank robberies, and to serving as a lookout during the Chase Bank robbery, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. According to a criminal complaint, Wilson told investigators that he and Dupape split up the proceeds of the robberies.
The two men were arrested following an investigation led by the Orange County Bank Robbery Apprehension Team, a multi-agency unit that includes FBI agents and Orange County sheriff’s deputies. They were assisted by officers from the Long Beach and Seal Beach police departments and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Dupape is scheduled to return to court for sentencing Aug. 20, while Wilson’s sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 10.