Surveillance photos allegedly show Elysia Roiz, in a maroon Burqa, attempting to rob a bank in National City last summer.
The FBI says she passed a note to the teller, demanding money, but she fled when the teller hit the panic button.
Roiz claims that she is not a habitual thief, but fell on hard times and was having trouble caring for her son, who has special needs.
The director of San Diego's Council on American-Islamic Relations called the woman's actions "hurtful" and said no one has the right to use religious garb to commit a crime.
