Longest tenure of FBI Ten Most Wanted fugitives

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pakman
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Longest tenure of FBI Ten Most Wanted fugitives Dec 17, 2021 8:43:07 GMT -5 Scumhunter and тσρтєиhυитєя like this

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Post by pakman on Dec 17, 2021 8:43:07 GMT -5

Pretty much ever since I first started watching AMW nearly 20 years ago, I've had an interest in the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list. Who are these fugitives? What did they do? Who replaced who on the list? (That's an ongoing project that has taken me years due to various methodologies I've used not working) But one project I did just complete - and one that didn't take me that long - was figuring out who spent the most time on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list. Basically I took the historical list of FBI Ten Most Wanted fugitives on the FBI's website, went through each fugitive, removed anyone who spent less than 5 years on the list, and using a date calculator, found out the exact time they spent on the list. In all, 35 fugitives spent at least 5 years on the list. I thought the AMW Fans community might be interested in seeing my findings.

I'm just going to post the 10 fugitives with the longest tenure, but if there's more of an interest, I'll post the rest.

I think you'll find some interesting results that I was able to find.

This data is accurate as of Dec. 17, 2021.

Markup notes:

- Fugitives marked with an asterisk were removed from the list without having been captured/located (although Donald Webb's remains were eventually located and Katherine Power surrendered 9 years after she was removed from the list).

- Bolded fugitives are still on the list.

1. Victor Manuel Gerena (32 years, 7 months, 1 day)*

2. Donald Eugene Webb (25 years, 10 months, 27 days)*

3. Glen Stewart Godwin (19 years, 5 months, 12 days)*

4. Robert William Fisher (19 years, 4 months, 5 days)*

5. Charles Lee Herron (18 years, 4 months, 9 days)

6. Alexis Flores (14 years, 6 months, 15 days)

7. Jason Derek Brown (14 years, 9 days)

8. Frederick J. Tenuto (13 years, 9 months, 14 days)*

9. Katherine Ann Power (13 years, 7 months, 29 days)*

10. Leo Joseph Koury (12 years, 1 month, 27 days)

Fugitive-specific notes:

- Of the 10 longest-running fugitives, only two were actually removed due to being located, and only one of those (Charles Herron) was actually arrested. Leo Koury was found dead in his home (heart attack), where he'd been living under an alias and it wasn't until a government official began going through his belongings that they realized who he was.

- Alexis Flores and Donald Webb actually belong to the same Ten Most Wanted "family" (Shauntay Henderson replaced Webb, and Flores replaced Henderson). I'd have to do some continued digging but it'd be interesting to see if more long-running fugitives fall into that same line. Ironically, Henderson was only on the list for a few hours (in her AMW capture report, Tom Morris actually said she was captured before AMW even finished airing in some parts of the country), and Webb replaced a guy who was only on the list a couple days.

- I find it interesting that the two current longest-running fugitives were not only both added in 2007, and not only were they almost added one after the other (there was only one fugitive, Jon Schillaci, added in between them), but both of them had been fugitives for a number of years before their additions. Flores has technically been on the run since 2000, although he wasn't identified until 2006, and Jason Brown has been a fugitive since November 2004, so he was added just over three years after he went on the run.

- You know how John Walsh has a habit of misspeaking about FBI Ten Most Wanted fugitives? Well, this actually isn't anything new. I have the Final Justice episode that talks about Leo Koury's life on the run and John tells the audience that Koury spent more time on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list than any other fugitive. That's false, and it was false even at the time Koury was located. Charles Herron was captured in 1986, Frederick Tenuto was removed in 1964, and Power was removed in 1984. Now, what was accurate is that, at the time he was located, Koury was the longest-running fugitive currently on the list. (Koury was added in 1979, Webb was added in 1981)

- I don't know too much about Frederick Tenuto, but I can tell you that he was only the 14th fugitive added to the list. He was added in May 1950 (just two months after the list was created) and was removed in 1964 because his federal charges were dismissed.

- I can't say this for certain, but seeing how both Glen Godwin and Robert Fisher were removed just before they hit 20 years on the list, I think we can assume that the FBI doesn't like having fugitives on there for more than 20 years. I wonder if this means that if Flores and Brown aren't located in the next five years, they'll be removed as well. Godwin would have been on the list 20 years if he made it to December 2016, and Fisher would have made it to 20 years in June 2022.

Scumhunter
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Longest tenure of FBI Ten Most Wanted fugitives Dec 17, 2021 10:42:05 GMT -5 тσρтєиhυитєя likes this

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Post by Scumhunter on Dec 17, 2021 10:42:05 GMT -5

I'm sort of resigned to Alexis Flores likely being taken off soon due to how unhelpful Honduras has been (Although we'll see if helping them out with Yulan Carias will help). But Jason Brown is the one I'm really getting worried about because in theory he's more catchable yet still nothing.

Kind of amazed at Gerena lasting so long. I feel the FBI was being way too stubborn refusing to take him off when it was obvious Cuba wasn't going to play ball. Not that Gerena's crimes weren't awful but he lasted longer than both a family killer and a cop killer.

тσρтєиhυитєя
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Longest tenure of FBI Ten Most Wanted fugitives Dec 18, 2021 14:30:48 GMT -5 via Tapatalk

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Post by тσρтєиhυитєя on Dec 18, 2021 14:30:48 GMT -5

I also wanted to add this point to Pakman’s summary, but what Robert Fisher, Glen Godwin, and Victor Gerena had in common is they were all born in the late 1950s/early 1960s, all 3 around 2016-2021 were in their late 50s/early 60s and had been on the list for decades prior to their removal, another fugitive who shared the same age characteristics with them during this time was Yaser Said, (Yaser Said was older than all 3) but wasn’t removed because he was a recent addition. Age may have been a factor when the FBI kept Victor Gerena on the Top Ten for so long, also he almost was 30 years younger than Donald Webb.

As for the current list itself there’s a few factors we have to look at; and it’s both Jason Brown and Alexis Flores’ ages. While Brown would be 52 as of this date, Flores would be 46, and based on age it seems Flores would stay on the list longer for that reason.

However the circumstances of each case is different, While at the moment with new addition Yulan Carias, there is a reason to possibly celebrate, but also be cautious; because if Yulan Carias was negotiated to be arrested and extradited along with Flores, then it a moot point to talk about his removal if this is the case, but if nothing was negotiated behind the scenes, we could see Flores removed when the FBI if and when is to replace a captured Yulan Carias.

If Flores were to get captured and/or removed from the Top Ten List before Jason Brown, I think it would be pointless to remove him if he’s the last fugitive added from the 2000s, as the current list as it sits is already an 8-2 ratio of fugitives who have been added within the last 5 years. Realistically Brown is more catchable than Fisher and Flores, so he’ll stay on the list longer, and they have yet to update age progressed photos or do another reward increase.

Also Eugene Palmer could be removed before both Alexis Flores and Jason Brown because of his advanced age, but it seems currently investigators are really working this case to their full capacity, but if nothing pans out, I could see Palmer taken off by 2025.

Highest Priority Case: Murder Victim, Alexandra (Alex) Anaya
Missing Person: Jose Esuaro "Che" Dominguez
Most Wanted #5: Gregory Whitehead
Most Wanted #4: Bob Tang
Most Wanted #3: FBI Top Ten Fugitive, Eugene Palmer
Most Wanted #2: FBI Top Ten Fugitive, Octaviano Juarez-Corro
Public Enemy #1: FBI Top Ten Fugitive, Jose Villarreal-Hernandez

pakman
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Longest tenure of FBI Ten Most Wanted fugitives Sept 12, 2022 13:18:20 GMT -5 Scumhunter and тσρтєиhυитєя like this

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Post by pakman on Sept 12, 2022 13:18:20 GMT -5

With the recent removals of a few long-running Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, I've decided to update my list to not only get a more accurate list of who spent the longest time on the list, but to expand it and show every fugitive who spent at least six years on the list. I've also decided to go into more detail on those who spent more than 10 years on the list. Here's what I found:

1. Victor Manuel Gerena - 32 years, 7 months and 1 day on the list

Gerena is wanted for his role in a 1983 armed robbery of a Wells Fargo depot in Connecticut. Gerena, who was a driver for the company, allegedly tied up his colleagues and injected them with an unknown substance to knock them out. He was a member of Los Macheteros, a Puerto Rican separatist group, and used the money to finance the group's operations. Gerena was removed from the list in 2016 because he no longer met the criteria for inclusion. He's still at large.

2. Donald Eugene Webb - 25 years, 10 months and 27 days on the list

Webb was wanted for the murder of a police chief in Pennsylvania. It's believed the chief stumbled upon Webb, a prominent jewel thief, committing a crime, and the two got into a scuffle. Webb was removed from the list in 2007 because he no longer met the criteria for inclusion. In 2017, 10 years after his removal from the list, his remains were found in Massachusetts on property owned by his ex-wife. It turned out Webb had been living in a secret room on the property and had died in 2000.

3. Glen Stewart Godwin - 19 years, 5 months and 12 days on the list

Godwin is wanted for escaping from two prisons in two different countries. In 1987, he escaped from Folsom State Prison in California where he was serving time for killing a friend and blowing up his body. A few months later, Godwin was arrested in Mexico for drug trafficking. In the early '90s, Godwin allegedly killed another inmate, then escaped from that prison, allegedly with the help of the prison's guards. Godwin was removed from the list in 2016 because he no longer met the criteria for inclusion. He's still at large.

4. Robert William Fisher - 19 years, 4 months and 5 days on the list

Fisher is wanted out of Scottsdale, Arizona for the murders of his wife and children. After he allegedly killed them, investigators believe he rigged the house to explode. By the time the house blew up, Fisher was long gone. Fisher was removed from the list in 2021 because he no longer met the criteria for inclusion. He's still at large.

5. Charles Lee Herron - 18 years, 4 months and 9 days on the list

Herron was wanted for his role in the January 1968 shooting deaths of two Nashville police officers. He was arrested as a result of an FBI investigation in 1986. He is the only one of the 10 longest-running FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives to have been arrested.

6. Alexis Flores - 15 years, 3 months and 10 days on the list (as of Sept. 12, 2022)

Flores is wanted out of Philadelphia for the kidnapping and murder of a 5-year-old girl. While the crime happened in 2000, it wasn't until 2006 that Flores was identified as the suspect following a DNA match. He is the longest-running current member of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List.

7. Jason Derek Brown - 14 years, 8 months and 30 days on the list

Brown is wanted out of Phoenix, Arizona for the murder of an armored truck driver. Investigators say after shooting the guard, Brown stole the money the victim had just received from a movie theater and rode off on a bike. Brown is the most recent fugitive to be removed from the list due to no longer meeting the criteria for inclusion. He's still at large.

8. Frederick J. Tenuto - 13 years, 9 months and 14 days on the list

Tenuto was a mobster from Philadelphia who escaped from a prison in 1947 (one of the other escapees was fellow Top Tenner Willie Sutton, who was caught in 1952). He was removed from the list in 1964 after the federal process against Tenuto was dismissed, reportedly because of rumors he'd been killed and buried. Tenuto had been the 14th fugitive to ever be named to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List, added just two months after the list was created. As he was born in 1915, Tenuto is most certainly dead.

9. Katherine Ann Power - 13 years, 7 months and 29 days on the list

Power (along with fellow Top Tenner Susan Edith Saxe, who was caught in 1975) was wanted for committing armed robberies at the Massachusetts National Guard Armory and a bank in Boston. A police officer was killed during the latter incident. Power was removed from the list in 1984 due to no longer meeting the criteria for inclusion. She eventually surrendered in 1993, making her the only one of the 10 longest-running Ten Most Wanted Fugitives to be arrested subsequent to her removal.

10. Leo Joseph Koury - 12 years, 1 month and 27 days on the list

Koury was wanted for several crimes out of Virginia, including murder. It's believed that Koury, who had a monopoly on gay nightclubs in Richmond, had another nightclub owner killed because his monopoly was being threatened. Koury was later found dead in California, where he'd been living a quiet life.

11. Osama bin Laden - 11 years, 10 months and 24 days on the list

Bin Laden was the leader of Al-Qaeda, a group wanted for committing terrorist attacks against the United States all across the world. While he was responsible for 9/11, he had been put on the list two years earlier for the bombings of U.S. Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. Bin Laden was killed during a military operation in Pakistan.

12. James J. "Whitey" Bulger - 11 years, 10 months and 3 days on the list

Bulger was the head of the Winter Hill Gang, a mob based on Boston that was involved in dozens of crimes. Bulger had reportedly been linked to 19 murders, among other allegations. Thanks to a renewed effort by the FBI to find him, Bulger and his girlfriend, Catherine Greig, were arrested in California in 2011. Interestingly, Bin Laden and Bulger were both added in 1999 (just two months apart, with only Angel Resendiz separating them) and were both found within weeks of each other in 2011.

13. Arthur Lee Washington Jr. - 11 years, 2 months and 9 days on the list.

Washington was wanted out of New Jersey for the attempted murder of a state trooper. He was removed from the list in 2000 due to no longer meeting the criteria for inclusion. While he's still at large, many believe that he died a long time ago, reportedly from HIV or AIDS.

14. David Daniel Keegan - 9 years, 5 months and 22 days on the list.

15. James Eddie Diggs - 9 years, 3 months and 17 days on the list.

16. Eugene Francis Newman - 9 years, 14 days on the list.

17. Eduardo Ravelo - 8 years, 8 months and 6 days on the list.

18. Henry Randolph Mitchell - 8 years, 4 months and 1 day on the list.

19. Benjamin Hoskins Paddock - 7 years, 10 months and 25 days on the list.

20. John William Clouser - 7 years, 6 months and 25 days on the list.

21 and 22. Claude Daniel Marks & Donna Jean Willmott - 7 years, 6 months and 14 days on the list.

23. Raymond Luc Levasseur - 7 years, 5 months and 30 days on the list.

24. Joseph Maurice McDonald - 6 years, 5 months and 14 days on the list.

25. Leslie Isben Rogge - 6 years, 3 months and 25 days on the list.

26. Semion Mogilevich - 6 years, 1 month and 26 days on the list.

27. Melvin Edward Mays - 6 years, 1 month and 2 days on the list.

I may add more details to the rest later (truth be told I'm too lazy to look up the older fugitives right now) but this is every fugitive who spent at least 6 years on the list.