Ohio Fugitive on the Run for 18 Years Captured in Florida
CLEVELAND, OH — After nearly two decades on the run, a convicted Ohio fugitive has been taken into custody in Florida.
Members of the U.S. Marshals Service fugitive team in Miami arrested Craig Scanlon, 68, late yesterday afternoon in Miami Beach, ending an 18-year effort to locate and apprehend him.
Scanlon was convicted in federal court in 2001 on charges of mail fraud, interstate transportation of stolen property, and money laundering after investigators determined he had embezzled and defrauded clients out of nearly $700,000. He served 46 months in federal prison and was subsequently ordered to complete three years of supervised release.
While on supervised release in 2007, Scanlon disappeared and remained a fugitive for years.
According to authorities, investigators pursued numerous leads over the years in Ohio, Florida, and Texas. In recent weeks, members of the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force developed information indicating Scanlon was living and working in Miami Beach.
Investigators determined Scanlon was employed as a personal trainer and hotel manager in the 6500 block of Collins Avenue, and was residing in the same hotel he managed. When officers approached him, Scanlon initially provided a false name — “August Brooke” — before ultimately admitting his true identity.
Scanlon is currently being held in southern Florida and will be transported to northern Ohio to appear in federal court to answer for the supervised-release violation and related proceedings.
U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott praised the collaborative effort that led to the arrest.
“Incredible work by investigators here in Ohio as well as in Florida led to the ultimate capture of a fugitive who thought he could disappear under a fake name and life in the Miami sun,” Elliott said. “The Marshals Service will not stop looking for fugitives, no matter how long and how far they run.”
Anyone with information about a wanted fugitive is encouraged to contact the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at 1-866-4WANTED (1-866-492-6833).
