Feds Take Over Case Vs. Shelly Denise Jones, Allegedly City's 'Most Stylish Bank Robber'

Shelly Denise Jones' alleged bank robberies are now a federal case

​We've written a bit about Shelly Denise Jones, the Antioch bus driver accused of driving her bus to a bank in Daly City and robbing it -- and wearing such stylish clothes while allegedly knocking over two San Francisco banks that witnesses were able to give startlingly detailed descriptions.

Jones -- she of the orange purse and silver flat sandals -- didn't just attract onlookers' attention. She's caught the eye of the Feds. Inspector Phil Wong of the San Francisco Police Department's Criminal Investigations Unit said the FBI has taken over the investigation of the July 12 and July 16 robberies Jones is accused of committing at a pair of San Francisco Bank of America branches.

Our calls to the FBI were not returned, and Wong had no idea why the Feds were taking over the San Francisco cases -- but the San Mateo County District Attorney continues to prosecute Jones for her alleged robbery in that jurisdiction.

Police contend that Jones, left, is the woman on the right who robbed three area banks

​But, like so many things in life, it may come down to money, according to Karen Guidotti, an assistant district attorney in San Mateo County. Jones' alleged Daly City robbery only resulted in a $3,000 loss for Provident Credit Union. Her accused San Francisco jobs banked in the neighborhood of $30,000.

Wong told SF Weekly that the tipster who led him and colleagues from Daly City to Jones directed the police to Jones' place of business -- a private bus company in Martinez. Prior to making the arrest, Wong compared surveillance photos of Jones to her DMV shots. "Her face looked exactly like the surveillance shots," he recalled.

Jones, 34, has a "small criminal past" in this state and a more significant one out-of-state, according to Wong. He would not disclose more and SF Weekly's calls to the FBI were, again, not returned.

The accused bank robber remains incarcerated in San Mateo County Jail on $200,000 bail.

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