'Little Rascals' and 'Mummy Marauder': How the FBI Houston brainstorms nicknames for suspects

The FBI's Houston office in March said it was searching for three alleged bank robbers, suspects whom the bureau dubbed the "Little Rascals" because witnesses described them as being between 14 and 18-years-old.

"They left the bank on foot," the bureau said in a post on social media, including photos of the young suspects.

The same FBI bureau said a few days later it was searching for a suspect in a separate bank robbery who was assumed to be several decades older. The office dubbed that suspect the "Over the Hill Heister."

The releases of those nicknames and an assortment of others -- the "Sticky Note Bandit," the "Not So Smooth Criminal" and the "Playbook Helper," among them -- were the work of a public affairs duo in the FBI's Houston bureau.

Christina Garza and Connor Hagan, both public affairs officers, are often the ones who brainstorm the names. They're in charge of getting information on suspects in front of the public and the media. Coming up with the names is sometimes fun, but it's also in service of getting their pictures and details in front of a wider audience.

The pair usually start with pictures or surveillance video, tossing around different names. Garza said she likes to try alliteration -- see the "Mummy Marauder" -- but sometimes a nickname's are as simple as describing the suspect's disguise or manner. That was the case with the "Sticky Note Bandit," who allegedly handed threatening sticky notes to bank tellers. Other times, it's simply that the suspect made no effort to disguise themselves, as was the case with the "Over the Hill Heister," Garza said.

"Sometimes it's more difficult to come up with a name than it is for others," Garza said. "But, you know, we seem to find a recipe that works and, you know, it helps our investigators."

Other monikers -- including the "Little Rascals" -- come directly from the officers working on the case.

"It was the investigator who suggested that name, just based on the photos that he saw," Garza said. "So it's a team effort for sure."

The names are often shared on the FBI bureau's official Facebook and X social media accounts. The media often picks up stories about them. ABC News, for example, wrote a series of stories about the hunt for the "Sticky Note Bandit" in 2023.

It's difficult to quantify how much the nicknames help capture suspects, Garza said, but there's been some evidence that they've been helpful.

And at least some of the suspects have taken notice, Garza said.

"And sometimes these individuals self-identify when they're finally caught up by our investigators," she said. "Some go ahead and admit, 'Yes, I'm the "Mummy Marauder,'" or whatever nickname we've given them. Self-identify as such -- and some don't like the nickname we've given them."