Hypothetical - Bench Warrant for Arrest

Say you got popped for something that would likely land you about a dime in the joint. You plead not guilty, bail is set, you pay it yourself, and are free as a bird until your trial date.

Question - At what point would you skip town and live a life on the run? Feel free to factor in the externalities such as family, kids, street cred, etc.

In the town I grew up in, a older reitred man is now going to jail for life for murder. He posted bail after his arrest and hung around until the guilty verdict was read. Given he is an older retired guy and I bet his lawyer just took his life savings. My question is, why didn’t this guy just skip town and retire to a resort town in Phukett or somewhere where US extradition orders are tossed to the wind.

Is my logic too far gone? I would imagine it wouldn’t be that hard to start up somewhere new provided one has the financial means sitting in the bank.

How do you keep getting into these situations??

I’d pull a 25th hour, wait until you’re supposed to be on your way to jail.

How did they release him on bail when he was being charged with murder? If a guilty verdict means he will die in prison, why would he not skip town?

I think for me, 10 years in prison is enough to make run away. Since my family is overseas, I imagine that it would be feasible for me to pull an isildurr. Cost of living is low over there, so I think I will be able to survive financially.

I once visited my grandfather’s friend’s son in Canada - his family was involved in some kind of financial scandal and this guy was in Canada to escape the authorities in his home country.

I would spend a day deciding where to go, a few days getting all my funds in order, and then leave asap.

I guess I’m really wondering is why this doesn’t happen more. Plenty of affluent people get arrested with means to start over somewhere new. I’d rather take a shot remaining a free man versus a sheep trotting to the slaughterer.

As to the man in the town I grew up in, who knows. He was a retired guy, posted bail, then hung around with family awaiting trial. He had a top shelf attorney at that too. Guilty on all counts. He’ll spend his retirement in prison.

Why he didn’t try to start fresh in a retirement resort in another country is beyond me. I can’t imagine extradition is that typical or effective when it comes to a criminal case. Civil cases with bounty hunters is a whole nother story.

I believe they make you hand over your passport when they think there’s a chance you’ll run. Most people, myself included, don’t have the connections to get anywhere worth going without one.

watch american greed, these folks dont usually get away when they decide to run and hide

either suicide ot straight to no extredeition country

This

+1

What if you have several passports? EU/US for instance?

Plus, in many cases, they freeze your assets. No passport and no money means no fleeing.

Looks like my backup country has an extradition treaty. So much for that. My plan is now to immerse myself in the illegal immigrant undersociety, where hopefully, I can still pass for a FOB.

That would certainly make it easier if you’re willing to lie when they ask if you have any other passports. EU is probably a pretty easy check, so good chance you’d get caught in the lie within a few days, but if was from a country that is not particularly cooperative with the US, you’d probably be good to go.

The other thing is, I wonder how difficult it would be to stowaway on some cargo ship and secretly immigrate to some other country. I’m sure someone will smuggle me to Panama if I pay them $50k or so.

If I ever do something bad enough to get life in prison, I now know I need multiple passports and tons of cash stashed away.

I remember reading in the CAIA level 1 book, there was a hedge fund fraud who tried to fake his own death/suicide (parked car next to bridge and left suicide note) and they caught up to him, can’t remember his name but it was one of the guys from Bayou Management or something.

+1

…still pending on the viability of cargo ship-hopping

This is why my basement is full of gold and silver. I’ll like like a pirate king.

My home town barber, back in the 80s, was convicted of dealing drugs. He wrote a suicide note and crashed his car off a bridge. He started to make his getaway but decided to turn himself in because of daughter.