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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 6 december 2017

Nabbed at a Pizza Hut, fugitive lawyer returns to justice

es many more years in pris- reddish-gray hair, was led
on if convicted of charges away in handcuffs by Hon-
related to his escape. Au- duran police agents with
thorities interviewed doz- ballistic vests and assault
ens of people, analyzed rifles, and then turned over
his bank accounts, and to the FBI, which flew him
meticulously read through home in a private plane.
emails and social media Conn’s capture was
posts purported to be from cheered by his former cli-
Conn. They searched his ents and their families, who
former law office and his have struggled to make
mother’s house in Stanville, ends meet while fighting
Kentucky. to keep their Social Secu-
The hunt led searchers to a rity disability checks.
Walmart parking lot in New “That’s wonderful,” said
Eric Conn is escorted by SWAT team agents prior to his extradition, Mexico over the summer Donna Dye, whose hus-
at the Toncontin International Airport, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and, finally, to the Pizza Hut band was among Conn’s
Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. Conn, a fugitive Kentucky lawyer who in Honduras on Saturday. clients in Appalachia.
escaped before facing sentencing for his central role in a Ultimately, the Honduras “I never thought they
massive Social Security fraud case, was captured as he came public magistrate’s office would catch him. He let
out of a restaurant in the coastal city of La Ceiba, on Monday.
(AP Photo/Moises Castillo) said his arrest was “the people like my husband
By MOISES CASTILLO Amy Hess, special agent product of arduous intel- have trust in him, and he
ligence, surveillance and let that down.”
ADAM BEAM in charge of the Louisville tailing by the agents.” Federal authorities
Associated Press field office for the FBI. Conn, wearing a blue polo claim Conn had help in
TEGUCIGALPA, Hondu- Conn speaks multiple lan- shirt with close-cropped, escaping.q
ras (AP) — A lawyer who guages, had crossed the
spent six months on the run border 140 times over 10
after pleading guilty in a years and had told at least
$500 million Social Security six people he would flee
fraud scheme was being the country rather than go
flown back to Kentucky to jail for his crimes.
on Tuesday after he was Yet a federal judge re-
caught outside a Pizza Hut leased Conn on $1.25 mil-
in Honduras. lion bail, and allowed him
Eric Conn was handed to remain free even after
over to the FBI after his he pleaded guilty in March
capture by a SWAT team to stealing from the federal
as he left the restaurant government and bribing a
in the coastal city of La judge to fix Social Security
Ceiba. Spokesman Jorge fraud cases.
Galindo of the country’s Conn fled on June 2. He
Technical Agency of Crim- cut off his electronic ankle
inal Investigation said they monitor and put it inside a
left Honduras on a private metallic pouch designed
plane. to suppress electronic sig-
Conn was expected to ar- nals, authorities said.
rive in Lexington, Kentucky, While nearly a dozen law
late Tuesday afternoon. enforcement agencies
“As promised, Mr. Conn will searched for the fugitive,
now be held accountable he was sentenced in ab-
for his actions, the people sentia last summer to a
he deceived and the lives 12-year prison term — the
he shattered, including all maximum possible.
the victims of his greed in Now 57 according to his FBI
eastern Kentucky,” said wanted poster, Conn fac-