Who is the 'Barefoot Bandit'?
Colton Harris-Moore, or the Barefoot Bandit, 20, is an international celebrity fugitive who pleaded guilty to seven felonies in a Seattle federal court on Friday. He struck a deal with federal prosecutors that includes a recommendation for up to six-and-a-half years in prison and the inability to profit from his crimes, including a proposed movie rights.
He has pleaded guilty to seven felony charges [and] will spend a significant time in prison and will not make one dime from his crimes, U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkin told ABC News.
Harris-Moore will be permitted to sell his story through a third party negotiator, but any profit that it will make, will go straight away as a reimbursement to his victims who claimed a loss of an estimated $1.4 million.
Harris-Moore, 20, is facing a slew of charges stemming from his lengthy flight from justice. The alleged plane and boat thief was arrested in the Bahamas after he crashed a stolen aircraft there in July.
Harris-Moore, the Camano Island youth is also accused and suspected in more than 80 crimes including the thefts of at least five small aircraft, two cars, and at least 100 private residences in the Pacific Northwest United States and Canada.
He was on the run from July 4, 2010 by flying an allegedly stolen plane to the Bahamas. He was detained in the Bahamas on July 11 and transported back to Seattle for trial.
When he was detained, he was 18.
The celebrity thief earned his nickname, Barefoot Bandit, because he has committed crimes while he was barefoot and, on at least one occasion, naked.
The young man became notably notorious for the brash crimes with Facebook pages dedicated to him, and thousands of 'fans' following him. Not just that, there are even t-shirts and other merchandise about him that are available for sale.
20th Century Fox, last April purchased the film rights to a book about the young man's crimes called Taking Flight: The Hunt for a Young Outlaw.
© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.