Leslie Isben Rogge

Leslie Isben Rogge
A white man wearing glasses
Rogge in 1973
FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive
Charges
  • Escape from custody
  • Bank robberies (4 charges)
AliasBill Young
Description
Born (1940-03-08) March 8, 1940 (age 84)
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
OccupationCarpenter, machinist
Status
Penalty65 years imprisonment
StatusImprisoned
AddedJanuary 24, 1990
CaughtMay 19, 1996
Number430
Captured

Leslie Isben Rogge[1] (born March 8, 1940) is an American bank robber who was the first criminal on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives to be apprehended due to the internet.[2]

Biography

Rogge was born in Seattle, Washington on March 8, 1940.[3]

Rogge was imprisoned at the United States Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas, during the 1970s for car theft and grand larceny.[4] He was later convicted and sentenced to 25 years for a 1984 bank robbery in Key Largo, Florida. In September 1985, he bribed a corrections officer and escaped from prison in Moscow, Idaho.

Following his escape, he went on to commit additional bank robberies, including one at an Exchange Bank branch in El Dorado, Arkansas, and at a bank in High Point, North Carolina, in 1986. On January 24, 1990, Rogge became the 430th Fugitive to be added to the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, where he remained for the next six years.[4][5] He was featured on the television program Unsolved Mysteries and on America's Most Wanted five times.[4] In 1991, he also robbed a bank in Webb City, Missouri.[6]

Rogge's approach involved determining which bank would be a more viable option for carrying out a robbery and meticulously planning an escape plan by deciding in which vehicle would be fastest to escape.[7] When Rogge and his partner robbed a particular bank, they used the police scanner to monitor the state of the bank's alarm system and keep track of police activity. Meanwhile, Rogge would walk calmly and wait. When they escaped, a timed smoke bomb set the previous night would explode, providing a distraction for their escape.[8]

Arrest

On May 19, 1996, Rogge surrendered at the United States Embassy in Guatemala, after Guatemalan authorities had launched a manhunt upon being tipped off by someone who saw Rogge's photo on the FBI website.[9] While on the run, he spent time in Antigua Guatemala, where he went by the name "Bill Young".[4]

Rogge stole more than $2 million and robbed approximately 30 banks, and is currently serving a 65-year sentence at Federal Correctional Institution in Sheridan, Oregon. His scheduled release date according to the Bureau of Prisons is May 29, 2034, at age 94.[10]

References

  1. ^ "FBI — Ten Most Wanted Fugitives FAQ". FBI. Archived from the original on October 13, 2015.
  2. ^ "Wanted: Gentleman Bank Robber – Nish Publishing". lesrogge.com. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013.
  3. ^ "Ten Most Wanted Fugitive – Leslie Isben Rogge". FBI. Archived from the original on October 25, 1996.
  4. ^ a b c d Moore, Molly (June 6, 1996). "You Can Run, But Not Hide, From the Net; FBI Home Page Nabs Fugitive in Guatemala". The Washington Post.
  5. ^ Price, Joyce (February 22, 1991). "FBI's most wanted meet set criteria". The Washington Times.
  6. ^ "Fugitive surrenders to FBI". UPI. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  7. ^ "Wanted: Gentleman Bank Robber Crime Magazine".
  8. ^ "The Anatomy of a Perfect Bank Heist: Smoke Bombs and Police Scanners". May 3, 2011.
  9. ^ "U.S. Fugitive Surrenders In Guatemala After Photo Is Seen On Internet". Associated Press. May 19, 1996.
  10. ^ "Inmate Locator". Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved September 15, 2023.