View Full Version : Fugitive from my city caught/busted in Damascus
http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/Lexington-fugitive-captured-after-six-years-on-the-run-304214461.html
FlyFishNut
05-19-2015, 13:20
Dude had six years to disappear. He should have gone S off the border or offshore...
Dude had six years to disappear. He should have gone S off the border or offshore...
What profit a man with $9 million dollars if he can't attend Traildays?
Looks like Bismark got sunk.
Trillium
05-19-2015, 18:01
He's the cliché that a criminal could 'get lost' or disappear from society or the law on the trail. Well, looks like he did for 6 yrs.
Wolf - 23000
05-19-2015, 18:28
Thumbs up to the FBI. That is one crook off the trail.
Wolf
He's the cliché that a criminal could 'get lost' or disappear from society or the law on the trail. Well, looks like he did for 6 yrs.
He wasn't shy about getting his picture taken and posted on hiker journals and such.
FlyFishNut
05-19-2015, 20:26
Seriously, not worth having all that cash and always looking over your shoulder and feeling guilty....
Lone Wolf
05-19-2015, 20:58
dumbazz.............
rocketsocks
05-19-2015, 22:17
I guess he was saving up for a thru-hike...gonna really do it right!
Lone Wolf
05-20-2015, 05:50
such a wonderful camping experience at tent city
http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/article/126683/unresponsive-hiker-at-festival-leads-to-3-drug-related-arrests
Another article in the Lexington Herald-Leader about the arrest:
http://www.kentucky.com/2015/05/19/3858844/lexington-fugitive-had-been-a.html
I wonder how one embezzles that kind of cash over such a long period and doesn't get noticed. I notice if my rather paltry checking account is off by $8 and I'd be bouncing off walls if $800 was missing. What kind of profit margin does this business have that they stayed in business after losing $8 million?
wow.
Bismark stayed with us at Green Mountain House for many years. He was always courteous, thoughtful and just the best guest a hostel could have. Really stunned by this news.
DrRichardCranium
05-20-2015, 13:50
The business was the Pepsi-Cola Corporation.
Tuckahoe
05-20-2015, 14:32
The business was the "Lexington division of G&J Pepsi-Cola Bottlers." A bottler being a local independent company bottling under license. So not Pepsi
rocketsocks
05-20-2015, 15:52
Ealso curious what the folks at the other end of the transaction did, and if any laws were broken there. Ya don't just write a check out the cash, but being he had controlling interest, maybe the account said Pepsi co. Really weird story, that happens all the time...embezzlement.
Lone Wolf
05-20-2015, 16:16
Ted Bundy was a real nice guy
somebody selling drugs at the Trail Days Tent City? shocking!
kayak karl
05-20-2015, 19:42
Ted Bundy was a real nice guyyep. a nice guy with an eating disorder ;)
4eyedbuzzard
05-20-2015, 19:45
yep. a nice guy with an eating disorder ;)Bundy wasn't a cannibal. I think you're confusing him with Jeffrey Dahmer.
That said, this guy was a crook, a pretty good one. Stole money, lots of it, but not violent.
Interesting story. Bismarck was on the trail in 2010 when I hiked. Don't know if he completed it or not but I hiked/camped with him a bit through Southern Va. Never saw him again after trail days that year. His trail name came from the fact that he claimed to be from that city in North Dakota. His story was that he was an independent contract engineer who had a 6 month gap in between phases of a very large project. As a former engineer, his story was credible although no one talks much shop on the trail.
My wife has a picture of a pancake breakfast in Franklin. There are 4 of us at the table and Bismarck is one of them. Although I am upset - the same group of 4 split a hotel room in Hiawassee at Ron's hotel there. You would think that a guy with an extra $8-9 million or so could have picked up the tab. I would like to think I would have done so.
as the cliche goes, "he was the nicest guy - would never thought him capable of such a thing". One thing I always remembered, he was the first guy that I ever saw or met who hammock camped. Of course, now they are quite common.
Traveler
05-21-2015, 06:57
Bundy wasn't a cannibal. I think you're confusing him with Jeffrey Dahmer.
That said, this guy was a crook, a pretty good one. Stole money, lots of it, but not violent.
Apparently not a great one though.....
FlyFishNut
05-21-2015, 11:03
I'd have been in Argentina or Chile - flyfishing and skiing - drinking Malbecs and eating lamb - being from SC, that's where we go like to slip away to for some R&R... ;-)
Although I am upset - the same group of 4 split a hotel room in Hiawassee at Ron's hotel there. You would think that a guy with an extra $8-9 million or so could have picked up the tab. I would like to think I would have done so.
You got screwed.
JohnHuth
05-21-2015, 12:00
My son is currently thru-hiking - just north of Harper's Ferry. He hiked a bit in parallel with Bismarck in March, but got ahead of him. I have a photo of him with some other folks at a hostel. When I joined my son on the trail, Bismarck was just one day behind. That's spooky, but I went and checked the number of fugitives who have used the AT as a means of evading the law, and found quite a number.
You got screwed.
not really, I am a "glass half full" kind of guy. I choose to celebrate the fact that he didn't take anything out of my pack.:)
(OTOH, my gear would probably not be that impressive to a guy who is a multi-millionaire. I don't have anything made of titanium or cuben fiber).
Turtle Feet
05-24-2015, 13:12
I have to agree with Jeff at Green Mountain Hostel - I knew Bismark and Hopper from my 2011 thru, then saw them again at the 2013 Trail Days (he btw, was one of the guys that helped pull Rainbow Bright out from under the run-away drivers car). My son and I gave him & Hopper a ride up to Daleville after Trail Days.
I've only ever known Bismark to be a kind and very helpful guy (he was the only person that offered to help Buffalo Bobby's daughters carry his ashes up Katahdin in '11).
It's really difficult for me to reconcile these "two" Bismarks....I'm shocked and saddened.
Chair-man
05-24-2015, 22:32
One more article with a little more insight on how he was captured. (http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=42131)
It's still not clear to me whether his bank accounts were frozen before he fled or if he actually got away with the money. For a while anyway.
Cookerhiker
05-25-2015, 08:10
One more article with a little more insight on how he was captured. (http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=42131)
It's still not clear to me whether his bank accounts were frozen before he fled or if he actually got away with the money. For a while anyway.
I wondered how the FBI traced him to Trail Days. Thanks for sharing.
More on what led up to his capture and information on his family:
http://www.sj-r.com/article/20150521/NEWS/150529846/?Start=2
Wolf - 23000
05-25-2015, 09:53
I wondered how the FBI traced him to Trail Days. Thanks for sharing.
Does it matter how the FBI found him? If he is wanted by the FBI, then it must be serious.
He may be a nice guy but so are many criminals. Some that have committed some very violent crimes.
Wolf
vamelungeon
05-25-2015, 10:46
He wasn't just wanted for stealing money, he was wanted for murder as well.
There is someone someplace, perhaps in your family, neighborhood, or circle of friends that is dodging some kind of bullet that would give you the shirt off of their back, they would feed you, they would rescue you and so forth. One thing I bet the trail did for Bismark was allowed him to be the type of man he wanted to be. And I think with the type of people that had hiked with him some of their goodness and wholesome attitude rubbed off on him and perhaps James Hammes will do the right and just thing and own up to his past and move on toward the Light.
Being on the run for a number of years on or near the Appalachian Trail probably gave Bismark a sense of peace like it has for many of us. The goodness you saw in the man was as genuine as it was possible for him and I hope we hear that he has owned up to his past.
How many of you have something, legal or not, nagging at your soul begging you to face it? How many of you live behind the mask of your trail name knowing the wrong you have done, or continue to do, while pointing your finger?
Sometimes in our lives we are blatant criminals and sometimes we are just blatantly good.
Teacher & Snacktime
05-26-2015, 09:58
He wasn't just wanted for stealing money, he was wanted for murder as well.
Where did that come from? I read nothing about murder in the article. 8 mill is enough to get you on the FBI's most wanted list....you don't have to be violent too. Just be a FEDERAL criminal.
Water Rat
05-26-2015, 10:57
Where did that come from? I read nothing about murder in the article. 8 mill is enough to get you on the FBI's most wanted list....you don't have to be violent too. Just be a FEDERAL criminal.
I believe vamelungeon got that thought from page 1 of article Shelb posted. The article opens on page 2.
"Joy was believed to have died accidentally in 2003 in a fire in Lexington. She was so well-known in the charitable community in Lexington that the city's newspaper wrote about her death. But as her mother, Judy, told me for a column in 2012 (http://www.sj-r.com/article/20120810/NEWS/308109914/), the family reconsidered Joy's death after Hammes disappeared and was charged."
vamelungeon
05-26-2015, 15:53
I believe vamelungeon got that thought from page 1 of article Shelb posted. The article opens on page 2.
"Joy was believed to have died accidentally in 2003 in a fire in Lexington. She was so well-known in the charitable community in Lexington that the city's newspaper wrote about her death. But as her mother, Judy, told me for a column in 2012 (http://www.sj-r.com/article/20120810/NEWS/308109914/), the family reconsidered Joy's death after Hammes disappeared and was charged."
Right. I don't think he's been charged but is a suspect in that case.
vamelungeon
05-26-2015, 16:04
It was the first sentence in the article- "
Zoom
James Hammes in 2013. credit: David Milner
» RELATED CONTENT
• Man wanted in $8.7M Ohio embezzlement case arrested; deceased wife was from Waverly... (http://www.sj-r.com/article/20150519/NEWS/150519391)
Jane Ryan of Springfield has known since March that the FBI was closing in on the man she suspects murdered her sister, Waverly native Joy Hammes. But she couldn't say anything about it, not even to her parents."
Turtle Feet
05-30-2015, 21:17
There is someone someplace, perhaps in your family, neighborhood, or circle of friends that is dodging some kind of bullet that would give you the shirt off of their back, they would feed you, they would rescue you and so forth. One thing I bet the trail did for Bismark was allowed him to be the type of man he wanted to be. And I think with the type of people that had hiked with him some of their goodness and wholesome attitude rubbed off on him and perhaps James Hammes will do the right and just thing and own up to his past and move on toward the Light.
Being on the run for a number of years on or near the Appalachian Trail probably gave Bismark a sense of peace like it has for many of us. The goodness you saw in the man was as genuine as it was possible for him and I hope we hear that he has owned up to his past.
How many of you have something, legal or not, nagging at your soul begging you to face it? How many of you live behind the mask of your trail name knowing the wrong you have done, or continue to do, while pointing your finger?
Sometimes in our lives we are blatant criminals and sometimes we are just blatantly good.
Well said Larry!
Has anyone heard what has become of Hopper? Did she leave the trail? Still hiking? Taken in for questioning?
I liked them both a lot, but Hopper seemed to be supported by Bismark (I could be very wrong about that, but just my sense). Just wondering how she's coping?
There is someone someplace, perhaps in your family, neighborhood, or circle of friends that is dodging some kind of bullet that would give you the shirt off of their back, they would feed you, they would rescue you and so forth. One thing I bet the trail did for Bismark was allowed him to be the type of man he wanted to be. And I think with the type of people that had hiked with him some of their goodness and wholesome attitude rubbed off on him and perhaps James Hammes will do the right and just thing and own up to his past and move on toward the Light.
Being on the run for a number of years on or near the Appalachian Trail probably gave Bismark a sense of peace like it has for many of us. The goodness you saw in the man was as genuine as it was possible for him and I hope we hear that he has owned up to his past.
How many of you have something, legal or not, nagging at your soul begging you to face it? How many of you live behind the mask of your trail name knowing the wrong you have done, or continue to do, while pointing your finger?
Sometimes in our lives we are blatant criminals and sometimes we are just blatantly good.
No, not everyone is as you purport them to be in an apparent attempt to seek self vindication by rationalizing that everyone has been a "blatant criminal" sometime in their life. There are people who have been fine upstanding human beings all their lives and deserve far more credit than those who haven't and are now looking for confirmation.
greenmtnboy
05-31-2015, 10:48
There are plenty of people on the AT who would pass a background search, maybe a few traffic tickets or an arrest for anti-war protesting, etc.. But in terms of ethics 90% plus of hikers are clean.
If someone wants to elude the authorities I don't think this trail is the way to go. Most of the books like How to Hide Your Assets and Disappear recommend getting outside US jurisdiction unless you want to get caught. Whitey Bulger and the Unibomber eluded authorities even in US jurisdiction. Love the movie Wronfully Accused with Leslie Nielsen....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JogttpcKFIA
mtntopper
05-31-2015, 14:03
He wasn't just wanted for stealing money, he was wanted for murder as well.
he was not wanted for murder
kayak karl
05-31-2015, 14:33
No, not everyone is as you purport them to be in an apparent attempt to seek self vindication by rationalizing that everyone has been a "blatant criminal" sometime in their life. There are people who have been fine upstanding human beings all their lives and deserve far more credit than those who haven't and are now looking for confirmation.
you sound just like the prodigal son's brother ;)
Well said Larry!
Has anyone heard what has become of Hopper? Did she leave the trail? Still hiking? Taken in for questioning?
I liked them both a lot, but Hopper seemed to be supported by Bismark (I could be very wrong about that, but just my sense). Just wondering how she's coping?
I am told by a reliable source that I spoke with last night that Hopper has taken this pretty hard.........
There are plenty of people on the AT who would pass a background search, maybe a few traffic tickets or an arrest for anti-war protesting, etc.. But in terms of ethics 90% plus of hikers are clean.
If someone wants to elude the authorities I don't think this trail is the way to go. Most of the books like How to Hide Your Assets and Disappear recommend getting outside US jurisdiction unless you want to get caught. Whitey Bulger and the Unibomber eluded authorities even in US jurisdiction. Love the movie Wronfully Accused with Leslie Nielsen....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JogttpcKFIA
I'll say 97% would pass a background check, the last 3% is iffy.........
Turtle Feet
05-31-2015, 17:01
I am told by a reliable source that I spoke with last night that Hopper has taken this pretty hard.........
I feel horrible about that. There is not much more painful (other than the death of a loved one) than the betrayal of a friend or loved one. It shakes you to the core. :( I send her my best wishes for peace of heart and mind. I wish I could give her a hug right now.
Larry - if you have the chance to speak with Hopper or could pass a message on, let her know Turtle Feet is thinking of her.
Turtle Feet
06-01-2015, 00:22
For anyone interested in watching the American Greed episode he was featured in:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xt0r90_american-greed-the-fugitives-deceitful-dad-and-the-missing-millions-raiders-of-the-lost-retirement_shortfilms
vamelungeon
06-01-2015, 05:56
he was not wanted for murder
Yes, I know, and I corrected myself.
Good article that sums it up in the context of the AT: http://www.sbnation.com/longform/2015/7/1/8861183/james-hammes-appalachian-trail-bismarck
Why does someone need to steal $9 million if his idea of the ultimate dream retirement is to thru hike every year? That doesn't take much money.
double d
07-06-2015, 10:43
The guy stole from many people (most of them their retirement savings), he lied over and over to his wife and her family and to his employer. Not a guy who just made a "mistake".
Why does someone need to steal $9 million if his idea of the ultimate dream retirement is to thru hike every year? That doesn't take much money.
I don't know......some sleeping bags I've recently priced has me thinking otherwise. :)
Why does someone need to steal $9 million if his idea of the ultimate dream retirement is to thru hike every year? That doesn't take much money.
Lots of zero days ?!?!?!?
:)
Being serious, perhaps the AT was an afterthought.
The real question is in this day of social media and the attention the long trails are receiving, why such a public trail?
I guess we all need a community. And, at least for quite a while, the AT provided some anonymity.
Why does someone need to steal $9 million if his idea of the ultimate dream retirement is to thru hike every year? That doesn't take much money.
Hard to say how much of the $9 million he spent before they caught up to him. From reading the long SBNation article it sounds like he was taking long diving trips even before his wife died. I admit that it would be tough to blow through $9 million, though.
My guess is that the prevalence of trail names and relative anonymity coupled with his radical change of appearance provided a false sense of security. I guess I just wonder what would motivate someone with relatively simple tastes to steal that much money, but sometimes you cannot logically analyze criminal intent.
xMagnolia
07-07-2015, 00:56
My question is how could he abandon his daughters (legitimate & the one from the secret life he led) while happily smiling in photos with hikers their age? That just seems so hard to imagine as a parent.
Lone Wolf
07-07-2015, 05:11
My question is how could he abandon his daughters (legitimate & the one from the secret life he led) while happily smiling in photos with hikers their age? That just seems so hard to imagine as a parent.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sociopath
Alleghanian Orogeny
07-07-2015, 08:15
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sociopath
After watching the TV show video, sociopath is exactly what came to my mind. The guy is a world-class sociopath and is a damned impressive narcissist, too.
Hiding out along the AT actually seems like it was a pretty good idea. It's called "hiding in plain sight". He obviously should have refrained from socially engaging so many people, and from having his picture taken so much, but it seems a better plan to hide along the AT than, for example, an area in the Rockies or the Southwestern deserts, where he'd more likely become known to BLM and National Forest personnel and local sheriffs. With the high relative population density of the AT and its adjacent communities, he more or less fit right in. Notice it wasn't the law enforcement community which located him, it was hikers and the AT community.
The type of embezzlement he perpetrated is actually very common. His employer violated the first chapter of "separation of duties" by giving him authority to make disbursements AND the responsibility of record-keeping for the assets. The simplest of internal controls within their accounting system would have provided for someone else to perform one of those functions, and by so doing, would made Hamme's technique impossible without collusion between the two. I'll wager "the rest of the story" is the lawsuit pending between the Pepsi bottler and their independent auditors. It's very likely a bottler of that size has to have audited financial statements prepared annually, and each year's audit includes testing of internal control systems. Absence of internal controls on this one got away from the auditors for many years. I imagine the CPA firm preparing the audits in the loss years are on the hook for the loss.
AO
He fit in because of the culture of "the trail" - not the AT specifically but long trails in general where using pseudonyms is considered normal, eccentricity isn't unusual, and it is considered bad form to delve too deeply into someone's past unless they offer details first. I think that he could have "disappeared" like this on the PCT as well as on the AT. On a less crowded trail, he would have been more conspicuous.
I guess he was saving up for a thru-hike...gonna really do it right!
At least he didn't have for strangers to pay for his vacation on GOFUNDME. Though, we will be paying for this accommodations over the next few years.
I think that he could have "disappeared" like this on the PCT as well as on the AT. On a less crowded trail, he would have been more conspicuous.
I think we are zeroing in too much on the alternative trails idea too much. And missing the main point..why a well established trail that is on the radar? Just my .05 worth.
Any long trail, and the culture on it, in this day of social media, is going to stand out...at least since oh say 2010 or 2011. Add in the interest in long hikes in general as well and it is head scratcher.
There are many places in the lower 48, esp out West, where people go to get away. And people pay no mind. Eccentrics and a loner? Just another person in a small desert town who wants no questions asked. Go to Alaska or better yet, abroad? Even better. I imagine $9 million dollar can get a person out of the country AND establish a new life.
People have done it with less resources and longer.
http://www.pennlive.com/projects/2014/33-years-on-the-run/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2551997/Woman-prisoner-run-37-years-living-quiet-life-San-Diego-gated-community.html\
and so on...
But if you insert yourself and become part of a mainly affluent, and perhaps more importantly a very plugged in and tight knit social community that is the bulk of the long distance tribe, sooner or later you are going to get noticed.
Probably better ways to go under the radar than hiking one of the most famous walking paths in the world.
Of course, we are trying to apply logic to a person who abandoned his family, stole $9 million and was on the run for six years. :)
I think we are zeroing in too much on the alternative trails idea too much. And missing the main point..why a well established trail that is on the radar? Just my .05 worth.
Any long trail, and the culture on it, in this day of social media, is going to stand out...at least since oh say 2010 or 2011. Add in the interest in long hikes in general as well and it is head scratcher.
There are many places in the lower 48, esp out West, where people go to get away. And people pay no mind. Eccentrics and a loner? Just another person in a small desert town who wants no questions asked. Go to Alaska or better yet, abroad? Even better. I imagine $9 million dollar can get a person out of the country AND establish a new life.
People have done it with less resources and longer.
http://www.pennlive.com/projects/2014/33-years-on-the-run/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2551997/Woman-prisoner-run-37-years-living-quiet-life-San-Diego-gated-community.html\
and so on...
But if you insert yourself and become part of a mainly affluent, and perhaps more importantly a very plugged in and tight knit social community that is the bulk of the long distance tribe, sooner or later you are going to get noticed.
Probably better ways to go under the radar than hiking one of the most famous walking paths in the world.
Of course, we are trying to apply logic to a person who abandoned his family, stole $9 million and was on the run for six years. :)
There's a certain amount of arrogance required to perpetrate the embezzlement that he did...to continue it for such a long time, etc. I think that same arrogance could easily surface when it comes to hiding from the authorities. I'm sure he thought he wouldn't get caught on the AT. Add that to the fact that he doesn't seem to be all that eccentric, nor a loner, and it makes some sense. Add this to the fact that he was caught by surprise when he was called into his company and asked about the theft...it's possible that he had limited access to the funds that were stolen (none of the articles I've read reference recovery of the money, or where it was hidden).
I don't disagree that you could come up with "more logical" places to hide, but I don't really think the AT is *that* insane of a choice, especially if it allows you to do something you are comfortable with and enjoy.
I think that same arrogance could easily surface when it comes to hiding from the authorities. I'm sure he thought he wouldn't get caught on the AT. Add that to the fact that he doesn't seem to be all that eccentric, nor a loner, and it makes some sense..
You are probably correct... Takes a certain personality to really reinvent yourself.... And did not seem this gentleman really kept a low profile. Going to hiker gatherings, being on lots of journals..as the article described him, he was becoming a "trail personality" know to the larger community as a whole.
Kudos to the authorities. Those are serious crimes he's accused of involving a substantial sum of money.
Kudos to the authorities. Those are serious crimes he's accused of involving a substantial sum of money.
Kudos to CNBC...and the hiker who recognized him. I don't think the "authorities" would have found him on their own.
With the vast resources of the FBI, a urge to bring him to justice, and continuing the way he was living they would have nabbed him.....eventually. We can not reliably and knowledgably comment on things further based on incomplete info being washed through media outlets. Stiil, the hiking community in the U.S. in general is, from all that I can tell, not a felonious group.
Another article on Bismark:
http://www.kentucky.com/2015/09/20/4046906/man-facing-87m-embezzlement-case.html
If you read all the news articles they kind of lead you to believe that he might be guilty of murder also. Anxious to see how this case evolves!
Bismark cops a plea:
http://www.lex18.com/story/30170845/lexington-man-takes-plea-deal-in-embezzlement-case
Sentencing postponed. He could get 20 years but...
http://www.kentucky.com/news/local/crime/article65157352.html
WhiteBlaze
06-01-2016, 15:50
<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="7" style="vertical-align:top;"><tr><td width="80" align="center" valign="top"><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNHzmNj2Z4yC8Wq-E-LRHEIeEYGggg&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&cid=52779125010101&ei=cDxPV-CMG-LF8wG1jJWoDg&url=http://www.wtvq.com/2016/06/01/feds-seek-7-year-term-for-trail-hiking-fugitive/"><img src="//t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ0yFrgLSDFPBkomS4Anbpueszox9-jteSdKMoSY_DwSeyPC_kD5LE1woGtuv2SrJf2do0Vgmk" alt="" border="1" width="80" height="80"><br><font size="-2">WTVQ</font></a></font></td><td valign="top" class="j"><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"></div><div class="lh"><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNGjDu4e5V9zxnS1ctjNQg85c6LHEg&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&cid=52779125010101&ei=cDxPV-CMG-LF8wG1jJWoDg&url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jun/1/apnewsbreak-feds-seek-7-year-term-for-trail-hiking/"><b>Feds seek 7-year term for <b>Appalachian Trail</b>-hiking fugitive</b></a><br><font size="-1"><b><font color="#6f6f6f">Washington Times</font></b></font><br><font size="-1">CINCINNATI (AP) - Federal prosecutors want a prison term of more than seven years for an embezzling accountant from Kentucky who spent much of his six years as a fugitive hiking the <b>Appalachian Trail</b>. James Hammes (HAM'-uhs) pleaded guilty last year ...</font><br><font size="-1"><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNE1VjdaCBe0PmCFfmkULdNXO7BjuQ&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&cid=52779125010101&ei=cDxPV-CMG-LF8wG1jJWoDg&url=http://www.ccenterdispatch.com/news/state/article_b888d152-c379-593f-b06e-42a446e9c530.html">APNewsbreak: Feds seek 7-year term for <b>Trail</b>-hiking fugitive</a><font size="-1" color="#6f6f6f"><nobr>Clay Center Dispatch</nobr></font></font><br><font size="-1" class="p"></font><br><font class="p" size="-1"><a class="p" href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=doypHCPj0tZupzMkdxJZkJ2XbnH9M&authuser=0&ned=us"><nobr><b>all 3 news articles »</b></nobr></a></font></div></font></td></tr></table>
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WhiteBlaze
06-01-2016, 16:30
<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="7" style="vertical-align:top;"><tr><td width="80" align="center" valign="top"><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNHzmNj2Z4yC8Wq-E-LRHEIeEYGggg&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&cid=52779125010101&ei=zUVPV6DUGMj08AH2-LLoBQ&url=http://www.wtvq.com/2016/06/01/feds-seek-7-year-term-for-trail-hiking-fugitive/"><img src="//t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ0yFrgLSDFPBkomS4Anbpueszox9-jteSdKMoSY_DwSeyPC_kD5LE1woGtuv2SrJf2do0Vgmk" alt="" border="1" width="80" height="80"><br><font size="-2">WTVQ</font></a></font></td><td valign="top" class="j"><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"></div><div class="lh"><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNE6iTzbK2GFSBxI8M8z6_2cWX12-A&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&cid=52779125010101&ei=zUVPV6DUGMj08AH2-LLoBQ&url=http://www.ohio.com/news/ohiocentric/feds-seek-7-year-term-for-appalachian-trail-hiking-fugitive-1.687208"><b>Feds seek 7-year term for <b>Appalachian Trail</b>-hiking fugitive</b></a><br><font size="-1"><b><font color="#6f6f6f">Akron Beacon Journal</font></b></font><br><font size="-1">CINCINNATI: Federal prosecutors want a prison term of more than seven years for an embezzling accountant from Kentucky who spent much of his six years as a fugitive hiking the <b>Appalachian Trail</b>. James Hammes pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud and ...</font><br><font size="-1"><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNE1VjdaCBe0PmCFfmkULdNXO7BjuQ&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&cid=52779125010101&ei=zUVPV6DUGMj08AH2-LLoBQ&url=http://www.ccenterdispatch.com/news/state/article_b888d152-c379-593f-b06e-42a446e9c530.html">APNewsbreak: Feds seek 7-year term for <b>Trail</b>-hiking fugitive</a><font size="-1" color="#6f6f6f"><nobr>Clay Center Dispatch</nobr></font></font><br><font size="-1" class="p"></font><br><font class="p" size="-1"><a class="p" href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=dUYlxvVHAkhfjYMkdxJZkJ2XbnH9M&authuser=0&ned=us"><nobr><b>all 3 news articles »</b></nobr></a></font></div></font></td></tr></table>
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WhiteBlaze
06-01-2016, 17:30
<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="7" style="vertical-align:top;"><tr><td width="80" align="center" valign="top"><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"></font></td><td valign="top" class="j"><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"></div><div class="lh"><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNE-78LWSqG3YDNYEXU083tbHc3YVg&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&cid=52779125010101&ei=4FNPV5C4Merg8gHg9ZLgCg&url=http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/feds-seek-year-term-appalachian-trail-hiking-fugitive-39540597"><b>Feds Seek 7-Year Term for <b>Appalachian Trail</b>-Hiking Fugitive</b></a><br><font size="-1"><b><font color="#6f6f6f">ABC News</font></b></font><br><font size="-1">Federal prosecutors said Wednesday they want a prison term of more than seven years for an embezzling accountant from Kentucky who spent six years as a fugitive, much of it hiking the <b>Appalachian Trail</b>. James T. Hammes will be sentenced June 22 after ...</font><br><font size="-1" class="p"></font><br><font class="p" size="-1"><a class="p" href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=ds1NcdcWoOFkSVM&authuser=0&ned=us"><nobr><b>and more »</b></nobr></a></font></div></font></td></tr></table>
More... (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNE-78LWSqG3YDNYEXU083tbHc3YVg&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&cid=52779125010101&ei=4FNPV5C4Merg8gHg9ZLgCg&url=http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/feds-seek-year-term-appalachian-trail-hiking-fugitive-39540597)
Feds seek 7 year term:
http://www.kentucky.com/news/business/article81148912.html
CamelMan
06-02-2016, 11:10
I hope he gets out early, being a nice guy and all. }:-)
Just Curious...was it Baltimore Jack who ID 'd Bismarck as fugutive James Hammes?
Thinking back, both Tarlin and Hammes were semi-permanent hikers season after season. Jack was a very bright guy, and coming across somebody with similar lifestyles would have maybe seen some red flags that this guy was not a typical hiker in any way.
Tuckahoe
06-03-2016, 07:51
Just Curious...was it Baltimore Jack who ID 'd Bismarck as fugutive James Hammes?
Thinking back, both Tarlin and Hammes were semi-permanent hikers season after season. Jack was a very bright guy, and coming across somebody with similar lifestyles would have maybe seen some red flags that this guy was not a typical hiker in any way.
Probably not, as a number of news outlest reported that the hiker that alerted authorities was from Mississippi.
Here's a supposed interview with the hiker -- http://appalachiantrials.com/exclusive-interview-hiker-who-assisted-fbi-arrest-james-bismark-hammes/
WhiteBlaze
06-03-2016, 09:10
<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="7" style="vertical-align:top;"><tr><td width="80" align="center" valign="top"><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNG3-QD_Im-pCE6wNofM5JqUP2ypCw&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&ei=r4FRV6Afx_bwAdPwpsAG&url=http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/crime/article/Attorneys-call-Appalachian-Trail-fugitive-s-7961276.php"><img src="//t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQbaAey-3pFBQiBveXYdGPWazJXzt0FHdeuRgSf9hUOfWgguii2OVFOusO y_Wypt0UddeOdRyo" alt="" border="1" width="80" height="80"><br><font size="-2">mySanAntonio.com</font></a></font></td><td valign="top" class="j"><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"></div><div class="lh"><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNG3-QD_Im-pCE6wNofM5JqUP2ypCw&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&ei=r4FRV6Afx_bwAdPwpsAG&url=http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/crime/article/Attorneys-call-Appalachian-Trail-fugitive-s-7961276.php"><b>Attorneys call <b>Appalachian Trail</b> fugitive's redemption road</b></a><br><font size="-1"><b><font color="#6f6f6f">mySanAntonio.com</font></b></font><br><font size="-1">Federal prosecutors said Wednesday, June 1, 2016, that they want a prison term of more than seven years for Hammes, who spent six years as a fugitive, much of it hiking the <b>Appalachian Trail</b>. (Butler County Jail via AP, File) less. FILE - This undated <b>...</b></font><br><font size="-1" class="p"></font><br><font class="p" size="-1"><a class="p" href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=dd7Rqpp5mnaYeUM&authuser=0&ned=us"><nobr><b></b></nobr></a></font></div></font></td></tr></table>
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WhiteBlaze
06-03-2016, 09:40
<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="7" style="vertical-align:top;"><tr><td width="80" align="center" valign="top"><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"></font></td><td valign="top" class="j"><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"></div><div class="lh"><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNHVKOF6tmNKBZaVvppLg5VuhT7KbQ&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&ei=uYhRV6jmH6fR8wH18LmIAw&url=http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/lawyers-appalachian-trail-clients-road-redemption-39584437"><b>Lawyers: <b>Appalachian Trail</b> Was Client's 'Road to Redemption'</b></a><br><font size="-1"><b><font color="#6f6f6f">ABC News</font></b></font><br><font size="-1">Attorneys for a Kentucky accountant who embezzled $8.7 million before going on the run say hiking the <b>Appalachian Trail</b> for six years as a fugitive put him on "the road to redemption." A sentencing memorandum filed Friday by lawyers for James T. Hammes ...</font><br><font size="-1" class="p"></font><br><font class="p" size="-1"><a class="p" href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=do-ByA64pThMxWM&authuser=0&ned=us"><nobr><b></b></nobr></a></font></div></font></td></tr></table>
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WhiteBlaze
06-03-2016, 09:40
<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="7" style="vertical-align:top;"><tr><td width="80" align="center" valign="top"><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"></font></td><td valign="top" class="j"><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"></div><div class="lh"><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNGg-v8LEVVrqGvHZvn5Lih5r2slEg&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&cid=52779126178796&ei=uYhRV6jmH6fR8wH18LmIAw&url=http://www.whio.com/ap/ap/ohio/attorneys-call-appalachian-trail-fugitives-redempt/nrZGK/"><b>Attorneys call <b>Appalachian Trail</b> fugitive's redemption road</b></a><br><font size="-1"><b><font color="#6f6f6f">WHIO</font></b></font><br><font size="-1">Defense attorneys say hiking the <b>Appalachian</b> Trial for six years as a fugitive put an embezzling Kentucky accountant on "the road to redemption." A sentencing memorandum filed Friday by federal public defenders for James T. Hammes (HAM'uhs) asks for a ...</font><br><font size="-1" class="p"></font><br><font class="p" size="-1"><a class="p" href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=dmUs-nJD24WHWwM&authuser=0&ned=us"><nobr><b>and more »</b></nobr></a></font></div></font></td></tr></table>
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rocketsocks
06-03-2016, 10:22
I hope he gets out early, being a nice guy and all. }:-)i do not share your sentiment at all. He was in a position of power and athourity and made his choice...just like and no better than Bernie made off with the money, leaving some destitute.
rocketsocks
06-03-2016, 10:25
Ok, just saw your home made emoji, not sure if that was a sarcastic furrowed brow?
WhiteBlaze
06-03-2016, 10:40
<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="7" style="vertical-align:top;"><tr><td width="80" align="center" valign="top"><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"></font></td><td valign="top" class="j"><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"></div><div class="lh"><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNGwBKhb3v08RORsuQTKIl1vvJhzgA&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&cid=52779125010101&ei=wpZRV6iPPKuN8gHLoZsw&url=http://www.lex18.com/story/32121106/feds-seek-7-year-term-for-appalachian-trail-hiking-fugitive"><b>Feds Seek 7-Year Term For <b>Appalachian Trail</b>-Hiking Fugitive</b></a><br><font size="-1"><b><font color="#6f6f6f">LEX18 Lexington KY News</font></b></font><br><font size="-1">CINCINNATI (AP) - Federal prosecutors want a prison term of more than seven years for an embezzling accountant from Kentucky who spent much of his six years as a fugitive hiking the <b>Appalachian Trail</b>. James Hammes pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud ...</font><br><font size="-1" class="p"></font><br><font class="p" size="-1"><a class="p" href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=dxQhMwr4IGaUu5M&authuser=0&ned=us"><nobr><b>and more »</b></nobr></a></font></div></font></td></tr></table>
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I think we are zeroing in too much on the alternative trails idea too much. And missing the main point..why a well established trail that is on the radar? Just my .05 worth.
Any long trail, and the culture on it, in this day of social media, is going to stand out...at least since oh say 2010 or 2011. Add in the interest in long hikes in general as well and it is head scratcher.
There are many places in the lower 48, esp out West, where people go to get away. And people pay no mind. Eccentrics and a loner? Just another person in a small desert town who wants no questions asked. Go to Alaska or better yet, abroad? Even better. I imagine $9 million dollar can get a person out of the country AND establish a new life.
People have done it with less resources and longer.
http://www.pennlive.com/projects/2014/33-years-on-the-run/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2551997/Woman-prisoner-run-37-years-living-quiet-life-San-Diego-gated-community.html\
and so on...
But if you insert yourself and become part of a mainly affluent, and perhaps more importantly a very plugged in and tight knit social community that is the bulk of the long distance tribe, sooner or later you are going to get noticed.
Probably better ways to go under the radar than hiking one of the most famous walking paths in the world.
Of course, we are trying to apply logic to a person who abandoned his family, stole $9 million and was on the run for six years. :)
It may be because living a life on the run is hard work. Leaving a previous life behind is no easy task. Most try to reenter or recontact to something from their past lives. Humans are social creatures of familiarity. It may be in the end it shows that he does have a conscious, was possibly coming around to atonement, and wanted the charade to end but couldn't personally bring himself to task to turn himself in wanting to prolong it for just awhile longer knowing he faced a lengthy prison sentence. Maybe, he was getting tired of running and subconsciously wanted to get caught so got complacent. Even IF he had $9 million that kind of money still is no guarantee of slipping through the cracks when the FBI is after you for murder, $9 million embezzlement, and the circumstances in which this happened over 10 yrs. Then, he runs. That's one of the biggest insults to the judicial system it does not take lightly. The FBI goes into predator prey mode AND they are good at catching people who don't want to be caught.
In 7 yrs maybe we'll see a book, 'How I Escaped to the Appalachian Trail for 6 yrs: Memoirs of a Reformed Embezzler'
Wonder how many times around the prison yard track equals 2170 miles?
Judging or trying anyone based solely on media and second hand LE accounts is ridiculously biased.
Seriously, hope the hiking experiences helped him gain some clarity of how he gets this behind him. He has a lot to answer for.
Supposedly the Sundance Kid writing a letter back home to his family is what tipped off the Pinkerton's and led him and Butch Cassidy to having to leave their peaceful ranch life in Argentina and their eventual fate in Bolivia.
Probably not, as a number of news outlest reported that the hiker that alerted authorities was from Mississippi.
Here's a supposed interview with the hiker -- http://appalachiantrials.com/exclusive-interview-hiker-who-assisted-fbi-arrest-james-bismark-hammes/
Ah, I had missed that Mississippi detail. I was curious to see no comment on this thread from BJ and wondered if some sort of warning bells went off in his fine-tuned brain...He of all hikers woud have had many opportunities to cross paths with Bismark over his 6 year fugitive oddysey.
CamelMan
06-04-2016, 10:08
Ok, just saw your home made emoji, not sure if that was a sarcastic furrowed brow?
It was supposed to be the devil, I was (mostly) kidding around, I didn't read far enough to know who he actually stole from. I did see somebody mentioned a pension fund, so that would suck, yes, and he should go away for a while.
CamelMan
06-04-2016, 10:10
the Pinkerton's
It's interesting to look into the history of this "organization", and some of what they did.
I think every "community" acts like a small community.
I lived in three major cities, so far. Everyone knew everyone, unless you were preoccupied and never looked around. The coffee shops, the grocery stores, the bus lines, the neighborhoods.. even the tourist areas (they're new).
It was surprising.
I don't think it is possible to be annonymous.
I think a criminal would have to be where it seems "no one cares" however, I have noticed "the predators" close in for some action, or, to get-in on the action, or, if any comes along are you included.
I was led to believe I was a protected witness (San Francisco Justice Department) after I was a crime victim: move right now, pay cash, do not register to vote, no library card, driver's license.. do things differently (no recognizable habits, hobby interests, or habitual "schedule" for your day or week).
Pay cash? That gets attention.
Just try it, for everything, all the time.
I did get a driver's license in a state, that required a subpoena to get your information.
<tbody>
<img alt="" height="1" width="1">
"He sought refuge in the foothills and mountains of the Trail, in an attempt to sort through a sordid past,"<nobr></nobr> (http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=do-ByA64pThMxWM&authuser=0&ned=us)
</tbody>
More... (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNHVKOF6tmNKBZaVvppLg5VuhT7KbQ&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&ei=uYhRV6jmH6fR8wH18LmIAw&url=http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/lawyers-appalachian-trail-clients-road-redemption-39584437)
Baloney!!!
He gets 8 years in prison.
http://www.kentucky.com/latest-news/article85286532.html
Cookerhiker
06-23-2016, 11:45
The article was updated with additional details: http://www.kentucky.com/news/local/crime/article85364822.html
rocketsocks
06-23-2016, 17:14
Baloney!!!i agree...........
The article was updated with additional details: http://www.kentucky.com/news/local/crime/article85364822.html
The headline makes me think they have some interesting laws on the KY books:
Lexington embezzler gets 8 years for taking $8 million, hiking trail
TexasBob
06-23-2016, 20:39
The headline makes me think they have some interesting laws on the KY books:
Lexington embezzler gets 8 years for taking $8 million, hiking trail
How many years do you get for just hiking?
rocketsocks
06-23-2016, 20:49
I took a hike once, and I didn't even feel bad about it.
The Roaming Gnome
08-03-2016, 12:04
Did anyone else notice him in the documentary FlipFlopFlippin? Here is a screen shot.
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