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Part – Newstatenabenn

    • A man convicted after 40 years on the run lived quietly around Dover
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    A man convicted after 40 years on the run lived quietly around Dover

    Sakege Posted on

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    For about four decades, Arnaldo Figueroa lived a simple life in central Delaware, except Figueroa was dead.

    In fact, he died as a child and the man who assumed his identity, married and lived what appears to have been a peaceful life was actually his brother, who was a fugitive from the law for 40 years.

    In September, the law ended its long pursuit of José Romero when he was sentenced in federal court for stealing his brother’s identity. The 68-year-old has been jailed since 2019 after Dover police caught him and sent him back to South Carolina.

    That’s where his flight from the law began decades ago.

    How he came to Delaware

    In 1977, he was arrested for robbing a bank in South Carolina and later convicted and sentenced to 18 years in prison. But in December 1979, he escaped from a work assignment and was not seen again for 40 years.

    In court records, his public defender described his existence in Delaware as “law-abiding.”

    He was never legally married, but had a 22-year relationship with a woman he loved, according to court documents.

    “Their union was anything but a marriage and produced two children,” David Pugh, her public defender, wrote in court papers.

    His partner died in 2005 of a heart attack. In addition to being a fugitive, Pugh wrote that his client lived a normal life for nearly 50 years. In court documents, Pugh refers to his client as Mr. Figueroa, originally his brother’s name. Pugh did not respond to requests for comment for this story.

    “Mr. Figueroa worked, loved and lost,” Pugh wrote in court records.

    Three days after Christmas 2019, Dover police encountered Romero while responding to a loitering complaint at a local store. In court documents, the officer wrote that Romero had been outside the store for nearly two hours, which he believed was “not normal behavior for a law-abiding citizen.”

    The officer wrote that Romero appeared drunk and had an open can of beer next to him. According to court documents, a breathalyzer test confirmed his intoxication. The officer wrote that the store owner said that even though he was told to leave, Romero was often in the store, lounging and sleeping, according to court documents.

    When the officer detained him, Romero presented identification with his brother’s name on it and signed some documents with his brother’s name. He was released.

    The loitering charges were eventually dropped, but his fingerprints finally did him in.

    ARRESTED: After 40 years on the run, South Carolina fugitive José Romero arrested in Dover

    Days later, the authorities were alerted about his true identity and his status as a fugitive. Three days later, Dover police saw him walking near White Oak Road in Dover and arrested him again.

    He was transferred back to South Carolina to serve the remaining time of his sentence for bank robbery, which officials estimated at about seven years.

    But the law was not satisfied.

    An identity discovered

    The subsequent investigation also revealed that for nearly two decades he had collected disability benefits for which he was medically qualified but which he received using his brother’s name and identification.

    When applying for such benefits, you obviously cannot use another person’s identification and you must also attest that you are not a fugitive. Over 19 years, he collected $200,000 in benefits for which his health qualified him, but his real identity did not allow it, according to court documents.

    Federal prosecutors charged him with identity theft and wire fraud. He ultimately pleaded guilty to the wire fraud charge and was sentenced in September.

    A ‘life simply lived’

    In court papers, federal prosecutors argued for the maximum sentence recommended under relevant guidelines: two years to be served after he completes his remaining sentence in South Carolina. They wrote that the “need to promote respect for the law” demands severe punishment.

    Pugh, his attorney, argued that his client is aware that the fact that he is medically qualified to receive such benefits does not excuse his conduct. However, he argued that his client’s deteriorating age and health mitigate a longer sentence and also mean he is less likely to reoffend.

    He also highlighted his stay in Delaware.

    “In the nearly half-century since his last conviction, Mr. Figueroa has simply lived life,” Pugh wrote, arguing that the sentence would run concurrently with the remainder of his sentence for bank robbery. “The most significant thing is that he has lived that life legally.”

    Ultimately, Judge Richard Andrews sentenced Romero to one year and three months in prison following the completion of his sentence for bank robbery. He was also ordered to return $200,000 that the law considers ill-gotten.

    And although the law deprived him of the medical benefits for which his health qualified, it appears to have shown him some mercy in South Carolina.

    Court records indicate he has received no additional prison time for his escape decades ago. Prison records indicate he will be eligible for parole in the coming years and will be released when he is in his early 70s.

    Contact Xerxes Wilson at (302) 324-2787 or [email protected].

    Sakege
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