Federal police announced on Friday that a career fraudster who broke out of a federal prison in Colorado almost five years ago was captured this week as he moved into a $1.5 million mansion close to the ocean on Florida’s Gold Coast.
This image provided by the U.S. Marshals Service shows Allen Todd May, a career fraudster who escaped from a federal prison in Colorado nearly five years ago. May was captured this week while moving into a $1.5 million house near the ocean on Florida’s Gold Coast. (Source: AP News)
May Arrest While Driving his High-end Mercedes
According to the report from AP News, last week, while movers were unloading a U-Haul truck at the Fort Lauderdale residence, federal marshals detained Alan Todd May, 58 years old. Investigators who had been watching him said that he was driving a high-end Mercedes at the time of his arrest and was sporting a Rolex watch. After discovering a published photo of May at a luxury event, an anonymous whistleblower helped officials track down May, who was residing under the name “Jacob Turner.” The image of him with the pink blouse, pink jacket, and pink-tinted glasses was posted on the Palm Beach Daily News website.
After discovering a published photo of May at a luxury event, an anonymous whistleblower helped officials track down May, who was residing under the name “Jacob Turner.” The image of him with the pink blouse, pink jacket, and pink-tinted glasses was posted on the Palm Beach Daily News website. The Palm Beach Daily News website published a photo of him wearing a pink blouse, pink jacket, and pink-tinted glasses, and an anonymous informant helped authorities track down May, who was living as “Jacob Turner” at the time.
Katrina Crouse, chief deputy U.S. marshal for Colorado, asserted in a phone interview on Friday that May was living a lavish lifestyle and showing off his wealth in high society in south Florida. May was held in Florida while awaiting extradition to Colorado. May has a criminal record dating back to 1983 that includes convictions for fraud, theft, credit card fraud, and bad checks. A response was requested by email to his federal public defender.
A June 2022 indictment charging May with mail and wire fraud claims that while he was being held in federal detention, May was able to steal an additional $700,000 by filing fictitious documents and stealing unclaimed oil and gas royalties that were owed to several corporations.
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Capturing May Had Been Tough For Several Years
The trail to capture May had been cold for more than three and a half years by that point. He is one of many inmates who have recently escaped from federal prisons in the United States. With some prisons having so low security that doors are left unlocked, surveillance cameras are damaged, and officials sometimes don’t notice an inmate is absent for hours, the Federal Bureau of Prisons has battled with security at federal prisons across the nation. May had between 24 and 48 hours in the United States. He benefited from the Marshals Service being assigned to the case, according to Crouse.
The marshals’ service stepped up its search for May after he was indicted in the oil and gas fraud last year, offering a $5,000 reward and pleading for the public’s assistance. Then, information started to come in from Florida, Texas, Wisconsin, and California.
The tip that May was in the newspaper photo was what gave the investigators their major break on July 25 when the marshals were notified. May had taken part in the event, which served as a fundraiser for a suicide hotline organization serving the Palm Beach area. May was located by investigators at a luxury residence in Palm Beach. They followed May’s partner in a U-Haul moving truck from Palm Beach to the couple’s new address in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday when May was promptly taken into custody.
In a written statement, U.S. Marshal Kirk Taylor of the District of Colorado said that he wanted to acknowledge and appreciate the anonymous tipster for their information, which directly contributed to the capture of this unusual fugitive. Now that May is finally back in custody, the focus of the inquiry is whether he had assistance. They are investigating the origin of his alleged wealth and whether he committed any other crimes while he was on the run. “This guy is very, very good at fooling people,” Crouse observed. So, “we’re not completely sure how he was living high on the hog, yet.”
The suicide hotline organization received a message asking for details regarding May’s attendance at the fundraiser. When The Associated Press contacted the man who was seen with May in the picture on Friday, he chose not to comment. May’s alias “Jacob Turner” was listed as a “certified mediator” in Palm Beach on a LinkedIn page connected to him. It turns out that while she was incarcerated, May had finished a mediation course.
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