Fugitive Files
Every weekday, Fugitive Files uncovers the chilling real-life stories of fugitives still on the run — from the FBI’s Most Wanted list and beyond. Each episode dives into official court indictments, arrest warrants, and federal documents to reveal exactly why these individuals are wanted — and how they’ve managed to vanish. We explore the crimes they’ve been accused of, the trails they left behind, and the global manhunts still underway. From arms traffickers to white-collar masterminds, rogue spies to cartel enforcers — these are the true crime stories the government desperately wants solved
Episodes
Case 090: Christoper W. Burns | Cashed Out and Vanished
He promised safe returns. What his investors got instead was a vanishing act. Christopher W. Burns, a former financial advisor turned fugitive, is wanted by the FBI for allegedly running a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme disguised as a “pe…
Case 089: Jin Sung-Il | The Coder from Pyongyang: North Korea’s Remote-Control Fugitive
When “remote work” goes rogue. Jin Sung-Il, a North Korean national now wanted by the FBI, wasn’t freelancing for pocket money—he was allegedly part of a global scheme to funnel nearly a million dollars straight into Pyongyang’s coffers. Ac…
Case 088: The Chapitos | Heirs to El Chapo’s Throne
When El Chapo fell, his sons—the infamous Chapitos—rose. Ivan Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzmán Salazar aren’t just cartel royalty, they’re fugitives with $10 million bounties on their heads, accused of running one of the m…
Case 087: The Delfino Brothers | Brothers in Crime Until the End of Time
Delfino Jimenez Calderon and Luis Jimenez Calderon aren’t just names on an ICE wanted poster—they’re fugitives accused of running a brutal human trafficking operation that preyed on vulnerable young women, forcing them into prostitution and…
Case 086: Raul Gorrin Belisario | Billion Dollar Broadcast
Raul Gorrin Belisario wasn’t just the owner of a Venezuelan television network—he’s accused of being the mastermind behind a staggering $1.2 billion bribery and money laundering scheme. According to federal indictments, Gorrin conspired wit…
Case 085: Trung Duc Lu | Born to Kill
Trung Duc Lu isn’t just another fugitive on the run—he’s wanted for one of the most brutal crimes in recent Philadelphia history. In 2014, Lu allegedly kidnapped, tortured, and murdered two brothers, leaving investigators to piece together …
Case 084: Jehad Serwan Mostafa | The American Jihad
Jehad Serwan Mostafa isn’t just another name on the FBI’s Most Wanted list—he holds the grim distinction of being the highest-ranking American fighting for al-Shabaab, the terrorist organization wreaking havoc across East Africa.A former Sa…
Case 083: Ruth Eisemann-Schier | Buried Secrets
In December 1968, a crime straight out of a nightmare unfolded in Atlanta, Georgia. Barbara Jane Mackle, a 20-year-old heiress, was kidnapped, drugged, and buried alive in a custom-built fiberglass coffin—with only a small tube for air and …
Case 082: Alexander Lefterov | The Botnet Mastermind
Alexander Lefterov, a Moldovan national, is wanted by U.S. authorities for orchestrating a sprawling cybercrime operation. According to FBI and Secret Service reports, Lefterov allegedly built and controlled a botnet between March and Novem…
Case 081: Christopher Robert Metsos | The Spy Who Walked Free
Christopher Robert Metsos—also known as Pavel Kapustin—was no ordinary fugitive. As the alleged paymaster of Russia’s deep-cover spy ring in the United States, he stood at the center of Operation Ghost Stories, one of the most significant e…
Case 080: Karl Lee | The Shadow Supplier Behind Iran’s Missiles
Li Fangwei, better known as Karl Lee, is a Chinese fugitive accused of fueling Iran’s ballistic missile program. For years, Lee allegedly hid behind a web of front companies, funneling millions of dollars in restricted materials in violatio…
Case 079: Maria Anatolyevna Bovda | The Translator of Chaos
Maria Anatolyevna Bovda isn’t just another name on the FBI’s Most Wanted list—she’s accused of being one of the masterminds behind Russia’s infamous online disinformation campaign. As head of the “Translator Project” within the Internet Res…
Case 078: Elaine Escoe | Pandemic Payday
When the U.S. government rolled out billions in relief funds during the COVID-19 pandemic, it didn’t take long for scammers to circle. Federal prosecutors say Elaine Escoe and five co-defendants—Alfred Davis, Cher Davis, Gino Jourdan, Latoy…
Case 077: Ronald Watson | Aliases, Arson, and a $10K Bounty
Ronald Watson had many names—Emily Smith among them—but no fixed address. What he did have, according to federal prosecutors, was a violent streak and a trail of evidence. In July 2020, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) building…
Case 076: Gregorian Bivolaru | Tantra, Lies, and Fugitives
Gregorian Bivolaru called himself a spiritual teacher—a tantric yoga master promising enlightenment. But behind the incense and mantras lay a far darker story. Accused of sexual exploitation, human trafficking, and psychological manipulatio…
Case 075: Adam Emery | The Vanishing Verdict: The Adam Emery Mystery
In 1993, Adam Emery stood in a Rhode Island courtroom as a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder. His victim, 20-year-old Jason Bass, was stabbed to death in a case of mistaken identity—Emery had believed Bass was the driver who sid…
Case 074: Poh Yuan Nie | The Cheat Sheet Queen of Singapore
In the high-stakes world of Singapore’s education system, one woman decided the O Levels weren’t about studying—they were about scheming. Poh Yuan Nie, a tuition center principal with a plan, masterminded one of the most elaborate cheating …
Case 073: Jho Low | Catch Me if You Cannes
He wasn’t a Hollywood producer, a Wall Street titan, or a Silicon Valley wunderkind—he was something far more audacious. Jho Low, the elusive Malaysian financier, masterminded one of the largest financial scandals in history, looting billio…
Case 072: Edward L. Montoro | Gone With the Mockbuster
In the wild world of 1970s and 80s cinema, Edward L. Montoro wasn’t aiming for Oscars—he was chasing blockbusters with knockoffs. As the founder of Film Ventures International, Montoro carved out a profitable niche by flooding theaters with…
Case 071: Albert Nussbaum | The Bandit Who Picked Up a Pen
In the early 1960s, Albert Nussbaum and Bobby Wilcoxson weren’t just robbing banks—they were redefining what it meant to be outlaws. Nussbaum, the calculating “brains” of the operation, masterminded a string of daring heists with an enginee…
Case 070: Victor Gerena | Seven Million Reasons to Run
It was one of the largest armored car robberies in U.S. history—an inside job that shook Wells Fargo and launched a manhunt spanning decades. In September 1983, Wells Fargo guard Victor Manuel Gerena betrayed his post in West Hartford, Conn…
Case 069: Semion Mogilevich | The Brainy Don and the Billion-Dollar Fraud
He’s been called “the most dangerous mobster in the world”—a man whose empire spans continents, governments, and billions of dollars. This episode dives into the shadowy world of Semion Mogilevich, the so-called “Brainy Don,” and the scheme…
Case 068: Colton Harris-Moore | The Barefoot Bandit's Wild Flight from Justice
He broke into homes, stole boats, jacked cars—and even flew stolen planes—often without shoes. To some, Colton Harris-Moore was a criminal mastermind; to others, he was a modern-day folk hero, outsmarting authorities again and again.Dubbed …
Case 067: Brenda Delgado | Jealousy, Murder, and the Fall of a Fugitive
When Dallas dentist Dr. Kendra Hatcher was gunned down in the parking garage of her upscale apartment building, investigators quickly uncovered a chilling truth: this was no random act of violence. At the center of it all was Brenda Delgado…
Case 066: John Joe Soto | The Cartel’s Ghost in Operation Dead Hand
At the heart of Operation Dead Hand—a sweeping international takedown of a drug and money laundering empire—stands one fugitive who continues to evade justice: John Joe Soto.Federal indictments unsealed in January 2024 charged Soto and 18 o…
Case 065: Gordon Hunter Pedersen | Doctor of Deception: The Silver Cure Conman
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Gordon Hunter Pedersen seized the fear gripping the nation — not to help, but to profit. Posing as a medical doctor, Pedersen marketed “structured alkaline silver” as a miracle cure, making wild claims abo…
Case 063: The Pan AM Flight 73 Bandits
It was supposed to be a routine flight.Instead, it became one of the deadliest hijackings in aviation history.In this powerful episode of Fugitive Files, we go back to September 5, 1986, when Pan Am Flight 73, en route from Bombay to New Yo…
Case 062: Naji Sharifi Zindashti | Iran's Global Enforcer
In this gripping episode of Fugitive Files, we uncover the chilling story of Naji Sharifi Zindashti — an Iranian national accused of turning political assassination into an international business. Indicted alongside Canadian nationals Damio…
Case 061: William Bradford Bishop Jr.
He was a Yale-educated diplomat.A father. A husband. A murderer.Then—he vanished.In this haunting episode of Fugitive Files, we investigate the baffling and brutal case of William Bradford Bishop Jr., the former U.S. Foreign Service officer…
Case 060: Noori, Farahani, Sadeghi & Khazein
They tracked her in New York.They planned her escape route by boat.Their mission? Bring her back to Iran—alive or dead.In this chilling episode of Fugitive Files, we uncover a bold and disturbing operation allegedly carried out by four Iran…
Case 059: Osman, Purgariu, Vasilescu & Spiridon | Pinholes and Pin Numbers – California’s Welfare Card Crime Ring
They weren’t hacking Wall Street.They were skimming welfare cards — one pinhole camera at a time.In this episode of Fugitive Files, we expose the alleged scheme behind a federal indictment involving Birdal Osman, Bogdan Adrian Purgariu, Ili…
Case 058: John William Hagenson | Gunpoint, Glamour, and a Legendary Gem
It was one of the most famous diamonds in the world.He took it at gunpoint.In this episode of Fugitive Files, we revisit the glittering and violent saga of the 1959 Krupp Diamond theft — a heist that stunned high society and launched a nati…
Case 057: Elizabeth Anna Duke | The Radical Who Bombed the Capitol and Vanished
She started as a campus activist.She ended up on the FBI’s Most Wanted list.In this episode of Fugitive Files, we trace the unlikely path of Elizabeth Anna Duke — from outspoken academic to alleged domestic terrorist.In 1973, Duke made head…
Case 056: Josephine Overaker | Flames, Forests, and Fugitive Legends
She burned down a ski resort in the name of nature.Then she disappeared into the wild.In this episode of Fugitive Files, we dig into one of the most destructive acts of eco-terrorism in U.S. history — the 1998 arson attack on Vail Ski Resor…
Case 055: Alexander Kalinin | The Hacker Who Cracked Corporate America
He didn’t just hack a few accounts.He cracked the walls of corporate America — and left hundreds of millions in losses behind.In this episode of Fugitive Files, we expose the story of Alexander Sergeevich Kalinin, a Russian national and all…
Case 054: Ismael Mario Zambada García | The Ghost Who Built an Empire of Blood
His name is whispered in courtrooms, border towns, and cartel strongholds.But Ismael Mario Zambada García — better known as El Mayo — has never spent a single day behind bars.In this episode of Fugitive Files, we dive into the life and lega…
Fugitive Files: After Hours – Jen Shah | Reality, Riches & the Scam That Brought It Down
On reality TV, she played the queen of glam.Behind the scenes, she was running a nationwide telemarketing scheme.In this Fugitive Files: After Hours episode, we pull back the curtain on Jen Shah, the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star w…
Case 053: Baoxia Liu | Bypassing Sanctions, Fueling Terror: The Global Tech Smuggling Plot
She wasn’t moving weapons.She was moving the parts that make them deadly.In this episode of Fugitive Files, we follow the case of Baoxia Liu, also known as Emily Liu — a Chinese national and alleged architect of a global tech smuggling cons…
Case 052: Rim Jong Hyok | Cyber Espionage, Ransomware, and North Korea’s Hidden War
He hacked hospitals.He targeted NASA.And he did it all for the regime.In this episode of Fugitive Files, we uncover the digital warfare campaign led by Rim Jong Hyok, a North Korean national and alleged member of the elite, state-sponsored …
Case 051: Raymond Abbott | Prison Escape, Arms Smuggling, and the Hunt for RoboCop
He was a soldier. A smuggler. A prisoner in a maximum-security facility.And then—he was gone.In this episode of Fugitive Files, we track the astonishing case of Raymond Abbott, a former U.S. Army infantryman turned federal fugitive. Nicknam…