Usama is our friendly broadcasting-but-highly-elusive-terrorist, Glen’s a convicted murderer who escaped from Folsom Prison, Bob purportedly killed his family and blew up his house, Eduardo is charged with being a major drug-dealing racketeer, Alexis is wanted under a murder-kidnap charge, Semion is alleged to be a Bernie Madoff-wannabee, Joe Luis has got a whole pile of nasty gang-related charges from murder to rape, Jason (who has a master’s degree in international business and speaks fluent French) is wanted for alleged bank robbery and an associated murder, James is charged with a bunch of murders in his alleged capacity as an organized crime kingpin and Victor allegedly pulled down $7 mil from a 1983 armed robbery. It’s the current FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list, which recently celebrated its 60th anniversary!
Folks, this is the big leagues, and the lowest reward posted for contributing to the arrest and conviction of one of these suspects is $100,000. There’s a lot of politics that goes into these selections, and with 56 FBI regional offices and a lot of senior managers, the competition for a spot on this wondrous list is fierce. This little excerpt from the April 2nd AOLNews.com puts the list in perspective: “‘I’d be lying to say there's no politics involved’ in getting someone on the list, Tony Riggio, a former FBI agent and official... In 1978, Riggio had the first organized crime figure -- Cleveland mobster Anthony ‘Tony Lib’ Liberatore -- placed on the Most Wanted list. Riggio said sometimes an extra call to headquarters from a top official in the field helped get someone on the list, adding, ‘Being a top 10 case agent is really a feather in your cap. I got a lot of respect.’’ Wonder what Usama’s name would be if he had one of those fancy mobster nicknames? While “The Sheik” is appealing, personally, I prefer “Boom Boom” bin Ladin.
If there is likely to be little or no interest from the press, a potential suspect doesn’t make the cut. These bad boys (there have only be 8 women out of 494 total “A-listers” since the program started) stay on the list until they are captured, die, the case falls apart or.... well... someone more heinous knocks them off the list... “they no longer fit the criteria.” And although it sure looks like there is a pecking order, technically the list doesn’t rank the suspects in any order of gravity. And of course, the FBI is hardly immune from popular trends in what people consider to be the most unsavory criminal activities. Field offices send in information packets (and this can look like a college application with letters of recommendation and everything!) on their “worst of the worst,” the service checks with their media and PR folks, and the list works its way up to the Director who makes the final selections.
The FBI’s own Website reports the changing patterns of suspects over the years: “Through the 1950s, the list was primarily comprised of bank robbers, burglars, and car thieves. Once into the radical 1960s, the list reflected the revolutionaries of the times with destruction of Government property, sabotage, and kidnapping dominating the list. During the 1970s, with the FBI's concentration on organized crime and terrorism, the ‘Ten Most Wanted Fugitives’ included many fugitives with organized crime ties or links to terrorist groups. In the 1980s and 1990s, the list included sexual predators, international terrorists, and drug traffickers. This emphasis, along with crimes against children, white collar crime, and gang violence, continues today.”
This whole process started mid-20th century, the FBI tells us: “On February 7, 1949, an article entitled FBI’s Most Wanted Fugitives Named appeared in The Washington Daily News. A United Press International reporter contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation and asked for the names and descriptions of the ‘toughest guys’ the FBI wanted to capture. In hopes the publicity would lead to arrests, the FBI listed the names of ten fugitives it considered to be the most potentially dangerous. The story generated so much publicity and public appeal, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover permanently implemented the FBI’s ‘Ten Most Wanted Fugitives’ program a year later on March 14, 1950.
“This ‘Top Ten’ program relied heavily on the nation’s news media. Recognizing the need for public assistance in locating fugitives, the ‘Top Ten’ program was designed to publicize particularly dangerous fugitives who might not otherwise merit nationwide attention. And it worked! Citizen cooperation led to the arrest of nine of the first 20 ‘Top Tenners.’ This included the very first ‘Top Tenner,’ Thomas Holden, who was arrested after a citizen recognized his photograph in an Oregon newspaper.” I’m picturing the FBI succumbing to popular pressure and adding a whole separate category for sports and entertainment celebrities – the TMZ Least and the FBI Most Wanted Celebs in Crisis! All this from a guy who folks believe really enjoyed wearing a dress?! Smart Edgar?
I’m Peter Dekom, and I am see whole ‘nuther side to arrested development.
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