Candice Rose Martinez

Who is Candice Rose Martinez?

Candice Rose Martinez, also known as the "Cell Phone Bandit," committed four bank robberies in Northern Virginia, U.S.A., in October and November 2005, when she was a 19-year-old Northern Virginia Community College student. She was given the "Cell Phone Bandit" nickname by the media because she spoke on her cell phone while committing the robberies.

Candice received international notoriety when surveillance footage of the robberies was aired on newscasts worldwide, showing her talking on her cell phone during the robberies. It was later discovered that Martinez was talking to her 19-year-old boyfriend Dave C. Williams, who was also driving her getaway car. The case attracted widespread attention due to Martinez's being a young, attractive female college student, as well as the brazen way she conducted the robberies: while calmly talking on her phone.

Dave C. Williams and Martinez were arrested on November 14 and 15, 2005, respectively. Martinez confessed shortly after her arrest. A total of $48,620 was stolen in the four heists. The couple bought a 1997 Acura Integra, two big-screen televisions, and plenty of designer clothes and bags, court records state.

On December 13, 2005, Martinez pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, to two felony charges. On March 3, 2006, she was sentenced to 12 years in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, to be followed by 5 years supervised release, a $200 special assessment, and $43,850 in restitution by U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee.