Seattle woman pleads not guilty to multiple bank robberies

Bank robbery suspect pleads not guilty

A 24-year-old woman charged with eight counts of robbery in the first degree pleaded not guilty at her arraignment Wednesday morning.

SEATTLE - A 24-year-old woman charged with eight counts of robbery in the first degree pleaded not guilty at her arraignment Wednesday morning.

The FBI described Leena Chang as a serial bank robber and the state says the robberies do not appear to have been only for financial reasons, but that Chang had "an element of enjoyment in the robberies."

Dig deeper:

Chang is accused of approaching bank tellers with threatening notes, claiming she was armed and demanding cash at banks between June 2024 and July 2025.

According to court documents, the incidents happened at:

• The Wells Fargo Bank at 1600 Queen Anne Avenue N (Queen Anne)
• The US Bank at 2746 NE 45th Street (University Village)
• The Key Bank at 9735 Holman Road NW (Greenwood)
• The US Bank at 4200 SW Edmunds Street (West Seattle)
• The HomeStreet Bank at 4036 E Madison Street (Madison Park)
• The Washington Federal Bank at 4800 Rainier Avenue S (Columbia City)
• The US Bank at 3124 West McGraw Street (Magnolia)
• The Washington Federal Bank at 4102 California Avenue SW (Genesee)

Detectives say an anonymous tip sent into Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound revealed Chang's identity, where she lived and how she evaded police detection.

Chang was arrested near her apartment in the University District in July, and she remains in King County Jail.

A judge set Chang's bail at $250,000 and her pre-trial hearing is scheduled for August 7, 2025.

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