Stephanie Schwab took the stand in front of a federal judge Thursday morning, wiping tears from her eyes, her once-blond hair faded to a mousy brown.
In a soft, halting voice, the Manassas woman — once known as the “Blond Bandit” for her involvement in a November spree of bank robberies and carjackings — told the court she regretted her actions.
“I’m very sorry for all the horrible things I did. I’m sorry to all the victims and to my family,” she said. It was the most she’d said during her sentencing hearing for two bank robberies and two car thefts in Maryland and Virginia. She was arrested last November after a bank robbery in McLean, where she led police on a Beltway car chase that ended when she crashed her vehicle near Old Georgetown Road.
Schwab, 27, was sentenced to 11 years in prison — 132 months — for the robberies and carjackings, as well as her role in a heroin ring where she admitted to police that she’d sold up to a kilogram (about 2.2 pounds of the drug). She’ll also spend time on probation after leaving prison and must pay $24,396.92 in restitution.
Schwab is a mother of four children, but the U.S. Attorney’s office wouldn’t comment Thursday on their status.
Prosecutors said Schwab took advantage of victims’ charitable natures during her November spree, at one point telling a woman she needed a ride to a gas station and then carjacking her before robbing a bank. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Tonolli read from that victim’s statement during the hearing.
“People like Stephanie prey on people’s innocence to get what they need,” the victim wrote, adding that she prided herself on helping others in need and hasn’t been the same since the incident.
Schwab’s defense attorney, Alfred Robertson, said Schwab felt guilty for her actions and told the court his client had “been through a lot” in the past several years. Schwab was a member of the MS-13 gang and testified in a 2005 murder trial involving gang members. She was placed under witness protection at one point but left because, Robertson said, she missed her family.
He said Schwab was attempting to rehabilitate herself in prison, earning her GED and staying off drugs.
