'Blond Bandit' Pleads To Carjackings, Bank Thefts

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) -- A Virginia woman who came to be known as the "Blond Bandit" has pleaded guilty to a series of bank robberies and carjackings last year.

 Stephanie Schwab, 26, of Manassas admitted to a pair of bank robberies in November that netted her a combined $3,200, plus another attempted robbery. She also admitted stealing a car from relatives and taking two others by force.

She also pleaded guilty to a new count of distributing heroin.

Schwab's two-week crime spree came to an end Nov. 30 after a chase on the Capital Beltway through Virginia and Maryland.

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

She'll be sentenced July 6 and faces up to 70 years in prison.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)