Buster

FBI Busts Two Members Of Red Sox Nation In Separate Armed Bank Robberies

In separate arrests in Florida and California, FBI agents last week collared two alleged bank robbers who wore Boston Red Sox caps during their respective armed heists, according to court records.

On Wednesday, agents busted Adam Ira Stephens for sticking up a Union Bank branch in northern California earlier that afternoon. Stephens “was wearing what appeared to be a ponytail wig under a blue Boston Red Sox baseball cap” and “was displaying what appeared to be a semi-automatic handgun in his waistband,” according to a criminal complaint.

Presented with a note warning, “I have a gun and I will shoot you,” a teller handed over $1462 to the robber, who fled in a Toyota 4Runner.  Stephens, 31, was subsequently arrested after cops pulled over the speeding Toyota on Interstate 680. Investigators found a “black ponytail wig” and the Sox cap on the front passenger seat. A pellet gun and $1462 in cash were also discovered inside the vehicle.

On Saturday, Myles Dowling was busted for the August 30 stickup of a PNC Bank branch in Boca Raton. The robber wore a Red Sox cap and carried a revolver with a long barrel.

Acting on a tip, investigators arrested Dowling, a 29-year-old Massachusetts native, at a Boynton Beach hotel. At the time, “he was wearing a dark color Boston Red Sox baseball style hat and he also had another similar hat in plain view inside his vehicle. These hats matched the hat worn by the bank robber,” reported FBI Agent Bijan Hunter in a U.S. District Court affidavit.

During a search yesterday of Dowling’s hotel room, agents found a Remington shotgun, a Colt handgun, and 43 rounds of ammunition.

Stephens and Dowling (seen above) are both jailed on federal bank robbery charges. If convicted, Stephens faces a maximum of 25 years in prison, while Dowling is looking at up to 20 years in the can.