Suspected Serial Bank Robber Appears in Court

By Dave Jordan, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Briona Matthews, the woman authorities believe is behind the string of recent bank robberies, appeared in federal court Friday.

Federal prosecutors claim the 30-year-old stole thousands of dollars from four different banks over a three-week period.

Matthews had allegedly presented demand notes at four area banks including BancFirst, 11001 N. May on March 4, Chase Bank, 12324 N. May on March 10, First Fidelity Bank, 2825 NW 164th Street on March 12, and Bank of the West on March 19, all of which were in Oklahoma City.

"The fact is she recently moved to Oklahoma City, so very few people, if any, knew her in this area," said FBI spokesman Gary Johnson. "I think that hindered our investigation."

OSBI processed one of the notes for fingerprints and tracked it back to Matthews who had recently moved to a duplex, located at the 11000 block of Spring Hollow Road.

Matthews told investigators she was at a doctor's office during the last bank robbery, but "staffers at the doctor's office denied that." She also claimed the "bank robber caught on surveillance was her cousin... who used makeup to alter her appearance prior to the crimes."

FBI "personnel noticed several pads of paper, color pencils and crayons inside Matthew's home."

After one of Matthews' relatives in Tulsa noticed a resemblance between the woman in the surveillance photo and Matthews, federal agents obtained and received an arrest warrant.

Matthews could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted on all four counts of bank robbery.

She will remain in custody until her preliminary hearing scheduled for next week.