Puño Airlines

A wanted fugitive, Marshall Wolfman, turns up at the Puño Airlines to claim his "prize", tennis racket in hand.[1]

In 1985, the Fugitive Investigative Strike Team VIII, part of the United States Marshals Service, set up Puño Airlines, a front organization to lure wanted criminals into the open where they could be arrested – by sending a letter suggesting the fugitive had won a free flight, a weekend in the Bahamas, and $350 in spending money.[2] In total, 200 fugitives were sent the offer, and 14 were arrested after showing up to claim their winnings.[3]

The FIST VIII had set up a Puño Airlines (puño is Spanish for "fist") booth beside Air Haiti in Miami International Airport, and did not tell any of the airport employees about the sting operation.[4][5] They then offered to send a limo to pick up the "winners" and bring them to the airport, to which 13 fugitives agreed.[2] Police later said that offering a drive to the airport helped ensure that suspects would not carry weapons, knowing there was a metal detector before boarding their flights.[5]

Two of the arrested fugitives did not realise the nature of the operation: one phoned from prison to ask if he could reschedule his flight, while another begged cops to "take care of this next week", noting she had won a trip and wanted to enjoy her vacation first.[5]

Marshall Wolfman turned up at the airport himself, but stood approximately 100 yards away from Puño Airlines, eyeing it suspiciously. After FIST VIII arranged to page a fictitious name to the counter over the loudspeakers, Wolfman presented himself at the replica ticket booth.[5][2] Wolfman was wanted for theft of a rental car.[5]

Konrāds Kalējs, a Latvian accused of collaboration with the Nazis, was also arrested in the operation.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Free Ride to Jail", San Jose Mercury News, June 17, 1985
  2. 1 2 3 "Creative stings", United States Marshals Service
  3. ↑ Robins, Charlie. "Just another sting in the mail", Gainesville Sun, June 25, 1985
  4. 1 2 "Retired US Marshals Association", Turner Publishing, p. 25
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Rowand, Andrea. "Undercover project FIST nets 3,000-plus fugitives", St. Petersburg Times, June 17, 1985
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