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'Wrong Way' Bandit Sentenced To 11 Years In Prison For Bank Robbery

WESTMINSTER (CBS)  — The so-called "Wrong Way" bandit pleaded guilty Friday to several bank robberies and was immediately sentenced to 11 years and four months in prison.

Jose Luis Arciga of Santa Ana -- AKA the "Drawstring Bandit" -- pleaded guilty to six felony counts of second-degree robbery and two felony counts of attempted second-degree robbery, according to court records. Multiple sentencing enhancement allegations of using a gun in the robberies were dismissed.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Michael Cassidy handled the sentencing.

Arciga, 40, got the "Wrong Way" bandit nickname because in one of the holdups, he started walking out the door he came in, realized his mistake and then made a U-turn to go out an exit door, according to FBI Special Agent Chris Gicking.

"The teller freaked out and thought he was coming back to kill her, so she passed out," Gicking said.

The "Drawstring" bandit moniker stemmed from a Tustin bank holdup where Arciga brought a large bag with a drawstring to carry his loot, Gicking said.

Arciga was charged with robbing seven tellers in five bank branches --Bank of the West in Garden Grove, Centennial Bank in Fountain Valley, First Bank and Trust in Costa Mesa, Nuvision Federal Credit Union in Costa Mesa and U.S. Bank in Tustin between Aug. 18 and Dec. 30, Deputy District Attorney John Maxfield said.

(©2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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