Post by Scumhunter on Jun 6, 2015 8:45:45 GMT -5
(Above photo credit: amw.com archives)
Fugitive Profile as of June 6th, 2015 (based on 2007 AMW archive, FDLE Most Wanted Search):
Full Name: Lerron "Carl" Carlton Heslop
Date of Birth: 09/13/1964 (50 years old)
Race: Black
Sex: Male
Height: 5' 08"
Weight: 200 lbs
Hair: Bald, May wear his hear very short, may wear a goatee or mustache
Eyes: Brown
Possible Locations: Lerron Heslop has family in the Caribbean, Canada, and Toronto, and may be residing in the Cayman Islands.
Last Seen: Yonkers, NY (Detectives last tracked Heslop to Yonkers, NY)
Other Possible Locations: Jamaica, Torono, Canada, Yonkers, NY.
Last Seen: Dallas, NY
Who to call if you've seen him: Florida reporting agency (407) 836-4357
Alleged con man Lerron "Carl" Heslop was a web-exclusive case on AMW's old website. Although I don't have his full profile (archive.org no longer works for it), I found part of the old case description on a message board that gives the geenral gist of his scheme:
Lerron Carlton Heslop may pretend to wear the face of a saint, but police say behind that angelic appearance is the mind of a strategic felon. Investigators say Heslop has duped churches and church-goers in Central Florida of at least $450,000 by presenting himself as a wealthy businessman from a religious family in Jamaica. He asks for donations for what police say is a fake religious group, Pioneer Caribbean Team, and his victims gladly hand over the money.
And it's a profitable line of work, too: Police think Heslop has pulled this scam in Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, Oklahoma, New York and Canada -- raking in at least $1m since 1996.
The Scheme
Detectives say Heslop tells his victims that the Pioneer Caribbean Team is trying to fund the establishment of bible colleges and churches in the Caribbean, and to entice them even more to donate, he promises big cash in return. He says he'll invest the money in Jamaican land used to grow sweet potatoes, and police say he claims the investors will not only see a ten-fold return on their money, but they'll also help revitalize the area.
The catch, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, is that a return on investment never materializes -- and since Heslop asks for cash only, there's no paper trail."
I'm putting Florida and 2005 as the state and wanted year since that's what the AMW website focused on but it should also be noted that Heslop is also wanted by New York State. A warrant was issued in September 2009 after it was determined Heslop unlawfully received $2,000 from a Fishkill, New York Wal-mart for returning stolen merchandise. I don't know if the AMW full profile mentioned this, since, as mentioned before, it's no longer online.
Thoughts? One thing that bothers me is I read an online comment calling people who fell for Heslop's scams gullible, idiots, etc. Which is essentially blaming the victims. Do I sometimes watch a con on the news and wonder how did people fall for that? Of course. Or, for example, I have no idea how anyone can be foolish enough to fall for those African Prince or lottery scams in e-mails. But being naive or foolish is not a crime, and you don't deserve to lose your hard earned money or life savings because of it.
It should also be mentioned the reason people fall for con men such as Heslop is in person they are usually charming and able to get even the most skeptical person to trust them. So please keep that in mind as these people who fell for Heslop's scams might have been very intelligent people, it's just Heslop is unfortunately very good at manipulating people.
As for Heslop, one would think he would flee to Jamaica with all the scrutiny on him. However, he was in New York as early as 2009. (Fishkill is in Upstate New York). Heslop has also apparently lived in Texas, along with ties to Canada. So he really can be anywhere in the U.S., Canada, or the Caribbean, in my opinion.
web.archive.org/web/20070811114916/http://www.amw.com/fugitives/profile.cfm?id=50829
www.theharlemvalleynews.net/?p=2848
www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5197638
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