A man who allegedly admitted robbing two banks was to appear in Santa Ana federal court on Monday for a bail hearing.
Bradley Thomas O'Loughlin, 50, of Arroyo Grande, was charged last week with bank robbery, said FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.
O'Loughlin was arrested by Newport Beach police Feb. 5 on suspicion of robbing a Bank of America branch at Westcliff Plaza of $8,500 earlier that day, she said.
According to the criminal complaint, the branch manager got a partial license plate from the rented silver-colored Cadillac that O'Loughlin drove to the robbery, and police spotted the vehicle within a half-hour of the crime.
Police found a handgun, ammunition and $12,500 in cash in the car, according to the FBI.
O'Loughlin told police he had financial problems and had come to Newport Beach to ask his father for money, according to the complaint. When his father was unable to help, O'Loughlin decided to rob a bank, the complaint states.
O'Loughlin was later linked to the Jan. 3 robbery of a Wells Fargo branch in Santa Maria and, when questioned, admitted that he also robbed the bank at Westcliff Plaza, according to the complaint.
