Víctor Manuel Gerena (born June 24, 1958) is an American fugitive wanted by the FBI for the September 1983 White Eagle armed robbery, as a Wells Fargo employee and a member of the Boricua Popular Army, of a Wells Fargo armored car facility. The $7 million in cash (roughly about $18 million as of May 2021) was the largest cash robbery in U.S. history at that time.[1]
| Víctor Manuel Gerena | |
|---|---|
 Age progression of Gerena | |
| FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive | |
| Charges | |
| Reward | $1,000,000 |
| Alias | Víctor Ortiz, Víctor M. Gerena Ortiz |
| Description | |
| Born | Victor Manuel Gerena June 24, 1958 New York, New York, U.S. |
| Nationality | American (Puerto Rican descent) |
| Height | approx. 5 ft 6 in (168cm) |
| Weight | 169 lb (77 kg) |
| Occupation | Security guard |
| Status | |
| Added | May 14, 1984 |
| Removed | December 15, 2016 |
| Number | 386 |
| Removed from Top Ten Fugitive List | |
On May 14, 1984, Gerena became the 386th fugitive to be placed on the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. He remains at large, and on April 11, 2010, became the fugitive to have spent the most time on the list,[2] surpassing Donald Eugene Webb, who was removed from the list on March 31, 2007, after 25 years, 10 months, and 27 days after Webb was presumed dead.[3] Gerena was removed from the list on December 15, 2016, after 32 years. He is believed to be living in Cuba.[4]
Bank heist
editAccording to law enforcement authorities, on September 12, 1983, Gerena dropped off his girlfriend at Hartford City Hall, where she was to get a marriage license for the couple. He then went to work and spent the rest of the day with co-workers James McKeon and Timothy Girard. At some point, Gerena removed McKeon's gun, handcuffed and tied up his two co-workers, and injected them with aspirin and water[5] in order to further disable them (Gerena thought it would make them sleepy), which did not work.[6] He put $7,000,000 in the trunk of a car, then left with the money.[6]
Fugitive
edit
According to published reports, Gerena was transported to Mexico,[4] where he boarded a Cubana de Aviación jet at Mexico City International Airport in Mexico City, arriving at José Martí International Airport in Havana. Years later, a cousin of Gerena accompanied journalist Edmund Mahoney to Cuba in an attempt to locate Gerena, but they did not succeed. Mahoney published a story in 2001 titled "Chasing Gerena".[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Edmund H. Mahony (2008-02-08). "Wells Fargo Fugitive Captured: Suspect Allegedly Transported Cash From $7 Million Robbery To Mexico". The Hartford Courant. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
- ^ "FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives FAQ". Retrieved 2017-06-18.
- ^ Romero, Frances (March 12, 2010). "Top 10 Notorious Fugitives". Time Magazine. Archived from the original on March 23, 2010. Retrieved 15 March 2010.
- ^ a b "Machetero Gets 7 Years For 1983 Wells Fargo Robbery". Retrieved 2011-05-03.
- ^ "FBI down to 1 fugitive in $7 million Conn. Heist". Fox News. 27 March 2015.
- ^ a b "Motives Still Debated, 10 Years After Heist". Retrieved 2011-05-03.
- ^ "Chasing Gerena". Retrieved 2011-05-03.
External links
edit- FBI Ten Most Wanted: Victor Manuel Gerena at the Wayback Machine (archived 2016-10-24)
- America's Most Wanted: Victor Manuel Gerena at the Wayback Machine (archived 2012-11-09)