3:28 PM: That’s the poster circulated by the FBI in January about a serial bank robber that authorities now allege is 24-year-old University District resident Leena Chang. We reported Tuesday night on the arrest shortly after Monday’s holdup at the WaFd Bank north of The Junction, and the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has just sent documents showing that Chang is charged in eight cases, the same ones mentioned in our update, including two in West Seattle – last January 13 at US Bank in The Junction, and this past Monday’s WaFd Bank holdup. Chang has no criminal history, according to the charging documents, which summarize the allegations:
The defendant engaged in a series of well-planned bank robberies for over a year. As time went on the defendant became emboldened and confident in her skills. She started out covering nearly all of her face, to include using a face mask to obscure her identity, but soon she relied on only a head covering and glasses (and possibly a wig).
(Montage of surveillance images, from charging documents)
She began to arm herself with a hyper-realistic airsoft gun in order to increase the likelihood of success. The State is charging 8 counts of robbery or attempted robbery, 1st degree at this time, but it is clear from the certification that there is at least one additional robbery in another county.
While financial gain was a likely motivation for these crimes, the evidence shows the defendant also took an immense amount of personal satisfaction from her ability to rob banks and outsmart law enforcement. She bragged to a friend about her “work” and spoke about it freely. In her apartment, investigators found a notebook containing information from two of the robberies, including saved demand notes.
(Image from charging documents)
But the most astounding find remains the saved FBI wanted bulletin of the defendant, which she had begun to sketch and paint with watercolors. The fact that she was a focus of a significant law enforcement investigation appears to have been a source of great pride for her.
small>(Image from charging documents)
As time went on, her robberies became more frequent, with six occurring since January of 2025 (including a robbery out of county). By early July, she was the target of this investigation, with police preparing to make an arrest. Then she robbed yet another bank. Police waited near her apartment for her to return and were able to arrest her, still in possession of her disguise, the demand note and the cash taken from the bank.
The charging documents have many images, even apparent robbery notes to which Chang signed her name; we’ll add a few shortly. Chang remains jailed in lieu of $500,000 bail and is due to be arraigned July 23.
