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Virginia's 'Blonde Bandit' Gets 11 Years

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Stephanie Schwab is a former member of the MS-13 gang.
Prince William County Police Dept.
Stephanie Schwab is a former member of the MS-13 gang.

A woman from northern Virginia known as the "blonde bandit" has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for a string of bank robberies and carjackings last year.

Stephanie Schwab, 26, of Manassas could be facing 10 years or more in prison, according to the Associated Press. The young mother from Manassas who was dubbed the "blonde bandit" for her light hair, pleaded guilty earlier this year to stealing $3,200 in a pair of November bank robberies. She also admitted stealing a car from relatives and carjacking two others.

Prosecutors sought a term of at least 10 years at Thursday's sentencing hearing, a term in line with federal sentencing guidelines.

Schwab's lawyer said that heroin addiction drove her crime spree. 

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