A 32-year-old man who conducted a string of East Bay bank robberies has been sentenced to five years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Investigators tied Naikano Tuipulotu of Oakland to five bank robberies or attempted bank robberies starting with a San Leandro heist on Oct. 23, 2023, court documents show.
According to an affidavit by an FBI agent who worked on the case, Tuipulotu walked into a Chase Bank on 14th Street in San Leandro wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with “Cookies” printed in white across the chest, a black baseball cap, a blue surgical face mask, gray pants and white sneakers…