A man accused of serial armed robberies, dubbed by the FBI as the “Great Outdoors Bandit” for the sportsman-like attire he allegedly wore during a slew of Idaho and Utah bank hold-ups, has been caught, authorities say.
Sandra Yi Barker, spokeswoman for the FBI office in Salt Lake City, confirmed that Josue Daniel Alfaro was arrested Sunday as he tried to board a flight to Brussels at Los Angeles International Airport.
FBI says this is Josue Daniel Alfaro,, a.k.a. the "Great Outdoors Bandit," caught on security camera trying to exchange $100 bills for smaller denominations at an Idaho bank just hours after holding up another bank.
Alfaro made an initial appearance before a federal magistrate in California on Monday, and was ordered returned to Idaho to face multiple bank robbery charges.
Alfaro had been named in an arrest warrant issued Friday by the U.S. District Court in Boise in connection with six holdups in Idaho and one in Utah, beginning Dec. 1, 2016.
The Utah robbery occurred May 24 at the Alpine Credit Union in Orem. The most recent known robbery occurred on Aug. 7 at the Clarity Federal Credit Union in Meridian, Idaho.
In most of the robberies the suspect wore sunglasses, a green Cabela’s cap and other clothing witnesses described as “outdoorsy.” The FBI caught a break when Alfaro, without disguise, allegedly tried to exchange $1,500 in $100 bills for lesser denominations.
FBI reports the "Great Outdoors Bandit," identified as Josue Daniel Alfaro, was arrested trying to fly out of LAX to Belgium. He was sought for bank holdups in Idaho and Utah.
The bank refused, later providing security camera images of the Alfaro and the black Mitsubishi Outlander he left in, the FBI said. Those images were spread by news organizations and social media, and two people — including Alfaro’s brother — identified him.
According to an affidavit, Alfaro had driven from Los Angeles to an undisclosed Utah location, where he borrowed his mother’s black Outlander on Aug. 7. He did not return the SUV until two days later, according to the FBI.
On Aug. 10, Alfaro’s sisters — recognizing both him and the Outlander from news reports — confronted Alfaro and the siblings argued. He left, driving his rental car back to California, where he was later caught at LAX, the FBI said.
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