An Arlington, Virginia, man pleaded guilty Thursday to robbing $800,000 worth of bauble from two Falls Church pawnshops — and it turns out he’s the same “Ball Cap Bandit” who robbed two Alexandria banks a few years ago.
Authorities say Budder Khan, 29, hit the Route 50 Gold and Jewelry Exchange in July of 2014. Using what appeared to be a real gun, he forced store employees to the ground, smashed glass display cases and stole $650,000 worth of jewelry and watches, United States Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger said in a news release.
The next year, in April, Khan pulled the same crime at Top Pawn and made away with more than $143,000 in goods.
A year after that, again in April, Khan was busted for two Alexandria bank robberies: one on April 18 at a Suntrust on Mount Vernon Avenue and another on April 28 at a Wells Fargo on Fern Street.
He was also tied to a bank robbery at a Wells Fargo in Falls Church.
Khan was arrested by Alexandria police for the bank robberies in May 2016.
He was arrested for the pawn shop robberies in late July of this year.
The FBI gave Khan the “Ball Cap Bandit” nickname after he was caught on surveillance footage wearing a different cap at each crime scene — for the Oakland Raiders, Brooklyn Nets and Colorado Rockies.
Khan faces a maximum of 40 years behind bars when he’s sentenced Dec. 6.
WTOP’s Nick Iannelli contributed to this report.
