A man who escaped from federal prison about five years ago was captured in Florida living in a $1.5 million house.
The U.S. Marshals said Friday that Allen Todd May, 58, was arrested at a house in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press. Movers were reportedly unloading a U-Haul truck. He was also wearing a Rolex watch and drove a fancy Mercedes.
May has been on the run since Dec. 21, 2018, KDVR reported. He escaped from the Englewood Federal Correctional Institution near Littleton, Colorado. He reportedly stole a work truck from the Bureau of Prisons and drove off the grounds of the prison without anyone knowing.
It was learned that hours later, May used a credit card to rent a U-Haul truck and abandoned it at a Fort Worth, Texas Waffle House, the news outlet reported. He was then last seen at his mother’s house in Houston the following day. His trail went cold for years.
At the time, May was serving a 20-year sentence for mail fraud for over $7 million in a Ponzi Scheme, according to the AP. Prosecutors claimed May used that money for lavish expenses.
While he was in custody, he reportedly stole another $700,000 by filing “fraudulent documents and pilfering unclaimed oil and gas royalties that were owed to several companies, a June 2022 indictment said regarding his mail and wire fraud charges, according to the AP.
A few months ago, a tipster reached out to authorities, the AP reported. May was living under the name “Jacob Turner.” The tipster spotted a photo of May at a fundraiser.
May was tracked down to a penthouse apartment in Palm Beach, Florida, according to the AP. On Tuesday, the marshals then followed May’s partner in a U-Haul track to a house in Fort Lauderdale where May was later arrested.
“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,” District of Colorado U.S. Marshal Kirk Taylor said in a written statement, obtained by the AP.
“This was huge. This was a very long, extensive investigation. This gentleman, because of his fraud background, was very good at eluding capture,” U.S. Marshal for Colorado Chief Deputy, Katrina Crouse said, according to KDVR.
Crouse said that May “was living a lavish lifestyle where he was flaunting his wealth in high society down in South Florida,” according to the AP.
Investigators are looking into any possible victims and where May may have gotten his money from, the AP reported.