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Press Release

Serial Bank Robber Known as "The Well Dressed Man" Pleads Guilty to Bank Robbery in Five Counties

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of California

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — David James Lira, 39, of Roseville, pleaded guilty today to robbing five banks in Northern California, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between December 2015 and January 2016, Lira robbed five banks. For his bank robberies and attempted bank robberies, Lira used various disguises including coats, fake beards, hats, and glasses. For some of his robberies, Lira obtained rental cars to vary his getaway vehicles. In total, Lira stole over $31,000.

Lira robbed the following banks:

  • On December 3, 2015, he robbed the Umpqua Bank at 1801 Douglas Blvd. in Roseville;

  • On December 11, 2015, he robbed the Wells Fargo Bank at 3456 McHenry Avenue in Modesto;

  • On December 17, 2015, he robbed the Wells Fargo Bank at 4400 Tassajara Road in Dublin;

  • On December 23, 2015, he robbed the U.S. Bank at 2111 Oroville Dam Blvd. East in Oroville;

  • On January 6, 2016, he robbed the U.S. Bank at 2175 W. Grant Line Road in Tracy.

    Lira also attempted to rob two other banks:

  • On December 1, 2015, he attempted to rob the Bank of the West at 1112 Galleria Blvd. in Roseville;

  • On December 11, 2015, he attempted to rob the Delta Bank at 2711 McHenry Avenue in Modesto.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Roseville Police Department, the Tracy Police Department, the Oroville Police Department, the Modesto Police Department, and the Alameda County Sheriff's Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Rodriguez is prosecuting the case.

Lira is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. on August 12, 2016. Lira faces a maximum statutory sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

Updated May 27, 2016

Press Release Number: 2:16-cr-056-GEB