Armed cross-dresser sought in bank heist

Last week, a "mummy" and a clown robbed regional banks.

Monday afternoon, it was a gun-toting cross-dresser who struck a branch in West Mount Airy and then fled in a black sedan.

About 1 p.m., a man dressed in a long floral-printed skirt and a long gray wig walked into a Sovereign Bank at 6740 Germantown Ave.

Brandishing a handgun, the man demanded cash from a teller. He stuffed an undermined amount into his handbag and dashed to a four-door sedan. The vehicle, believed to be a Cadillac, was last seen heading eastbound on Slocum Street, said J.J. Klaver, an FBI spokesman.

Klaver said bank personnel told the FBI that they were sure the bandit was a man. The bandit is described as African American, in his late 30's or early 40's, of average height and a slender build.

In addition to the wig and skirt, he wore large sunglasses and an untucked long-sleeve button-down shirt. He is considered armed and dangerous. The FBI asks anyone with information to call 215-418-4000.

Last week, police said they captured a bank robber known as the "Mummy Bandit" as he approached an Alliance branch in Havertown. Dubbed the "Mummy Bandit" because he wore gauze on his face and wrapped one of his hands in bandages, Hiram Joseph Adams, 44, of Mount Airy, later told investigators he was responsible for five robberies in Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties, according to an affidavit.

On Friday, police said they nabbed a woman who had dressed in a curly multicolored wig and clown costume as she fled from a bank robbery in Bethlehem Township. Carolyn Anne Williams, 43, told investigators she had been abducted and forced to carry out the robbery, according to LehighValleyLive.com. Police are investigating her story.