A fugitive who escaped from the Englewood Federal Correctional Institute nearly five years ago was arrested Tuesday in a $1.5 million home in Florida.
Allen Todd May, 58, was serving a 20-year sentence, after being convicted of mail fraud, when on Dec. 21, 2018, he escaped from the federal prison at 9595 W. Quincy Ave., Littleton.
May was arrested Tuesday night by federal and local authorities at a $1.5 million Fort Lauderdale residence within two miles of the Atlantic Ocean, according to a U.S. Marshals Service news release.
In September 2022, the marshals service issued a statement offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to May's capture.
An anonymous tipster, on July 25, provided a photo, believed to be of May, published on the website of the Palm Beach Daily News, the release said. The same tipster said May used an alias, Jacob Turner, and they provided a LinkedIn profile that listed "mediation" as a business, something investigators knew about May from his past. The tips led investigators to a possible location, a penthouse apartment in Palm Beach, Florida.
On Tuesday, as the penthouse was under surveillance, May's suspected partner was observed leaving the Palm Beach location in a U-Haul rental truck. U.S. Marshals and task force officers followed the truck to Fort Lauderdale where May was taken into custody.
"I'd like to recognize and thank the anonymous tipster for the information they provided that directly led to the arrest of this unorthodox fugitive," said District of Colorado U.S. Marshal Kirk Taylor, in the news release. "I would also like to thank and recognize the incredible tenacity of the Deputy U.S. Marshals who pursued every lead over the years in the District of Colorado, culminating in the arrest in the Southern District of Florida last night."
On Feb. 10, 2012, May was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after being convicted of mail fraud in the Northern District of Texas. On Jan. 12, 2018, he was transferred to the Englewood FCI, from which he escaped.
Recently, while May was still at large, on June 22, a federal grand jury in the U.S. District Court of Colorado returned an indictment charging him with 10 counts of wire fraud and seven counts of mail fraud, allegedly committed while he was in federal prison from at least mid-2016 to late 2018. According to the indictment, May identified several business entities that were owed unclaimed oil and gas royalties and then filed fraudulent documents to act as the representative of those companies to claim the oil and gas royalties for himself, the news release said. In total, May is believed to have obtained more than $700,000 in fraudulent claims during this time. In addition, May was indicted for his 2018 escape.
May is being held at the Palm Beach County Jail where he awaits an appearance in federal court.
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