Dodgers fan wrongly identified as FBI most wanted fugitive John Ruffo, who has been on the run for 23 years
Family members of the man seen in the baseball stadium tipped off investigators to the case of mistaken identity
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After 23 years, the US Marshals thought they had a hot lead on one of the most wanted fugitives in the United States.
But a few days after announcing bank fraudster John Ruffo lurking in the crowd of a packed Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, the baseball fan turned out the be a regular guy watching the Dodgers vs the Boston Red Sox.
The family of the sports enthusiasts recognised his face in the crowd after the US Marshal search went viral this week.
“In response to recent widespread media coverage, a tipster came forward and provided credible information as to the identity of the Dodgers game attendee,” the US Marshalls said in a statement.
“The tipster and family members were fully cooperative with law enforcement and provided detailed information regarding the attendee.”
After 23 years, the US Marshals thought they had a hot lead on one of the most wanted fugitives in the United States.
But a few days after announcing bank fraudster John Ruffo lurking in the crowd of a packed Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, the baseball fan turned out the be a regular guy watching the Dodgers vs the Boston Red Sox.
The family of the sports enthusiasts recognised his face in the crowd after the US Marshal search went viral this week.
“In response to recent widespread media coverage, a tipster came forward and provided credible information as to the identity of the Dodgers game attendee,” the US Marshalls said in a statement.
“The tipster and family members were fully cooperative with law enforcement and provided detailed information regarding the attendee.”
Ruffo had been convicted of a $350m bank fraud scheme in the 1990s and has been on the run since 1998, when he was last siin in at ATM video in Queens, New York.
He failed to turn himself in for a 17.6 year prison sentence for the fraud scheme and instead disappeared after driving a rental car to John F Kennedy airport.
There is a $25,000 reward for the arrest of Ruffo, who is the subject of season 2 of the ABC News podcast, "Have You Seen This Man".
US Marshalls fingerprinted the dodgers fan to confirm that it was nto the same person, ABC News reported.
Investigators had been pouring over footage of the 2016 game at Dodgers Stadium for five years the striking resemblance was noticed in the crowd.
Ruffo’s cousin, Carmine Pascale, of New Hampshire, was watching the game and reported the sighting to the US Marshals.
“I’m watching and right behind home plate, they did a close up of the batter and there’s Johnny. And I said, "Holy Christ, there he is," Mr Pascale told ABC News. “And I immediately called the Marshals. I froze the frame, kept it right in front of me.”