Plea Deal in Works for Alleged “Blonde Bandit”

A Virginia woman is expected to plead guilty to charges stemming from a series of bank robberies and carjackings last year.

Docket entries at the federal courthouse in Alexandria show that Stephanie Schwab of Manassas, Va., is expected to plead guilty to unspecified charges at a hearing April 5. Schwab was indicted last month on six counts of bank robbery and transporting stolen vehicles.

She was arrested Nov. 30 after a chase on the Capital Beltway, following a two-week crime spree that prompted a regional search for a so-called “blonde bandit.”

Schwab spent time in the Witness Protection Program after testifying at a high-profile murder trial in 2005 involving the MS-13 street gang.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Alexandria and Schwab's attorney declined comment Tuesday.