Things must be tough all over.
Cristina Fernandez Padilla, 51, pleaded no contest Thursday in San Luis Obispo Superior Court to eight felonies, including several counts of second-degree robbery, evading a police officer, and assault with a car as a deadly weapon. Without that plea she faced up to 32 years in prison, prosecutors said, but is now facing 20-year prison term.
Padilla was arrested in August 2013 after she tried to rob a Golden Credit Union branch in San Luis Obispo. She was known for robbing smaller banks and credit unions, often chatting amicably with tellers before showing them a note demanding money.
The Monterey Credit Union robbery in Pacific Grove was the only robbery in which Padilla allegedly brandished a handgun.
Besides Pacific Grove, she is suspected of robbing banks in Atascadero, Nipomo, Paso Robles, Modesto and Pismo Beach. In 2005, she was convicted for a burglary in Monterey County.