Colorado Police Capture Con Man with University of Wyoming Roots
Before James Hogue became one of the most elusive con men in modern American history, he was a different kind of runner; an athlete at the University of Wyoming.
Hogue enrolled at UW in the fall of 1977 and quickly earned a spot on the varsity cross country team. He didn't last long in Laramie. Sometime during his freshman year, Hogue dropped out of college and skipped town.
Eight years later, in 1985, he resurfaced, posing as a high school student in California. After winning the prestigious Stanford Invitation Cross County meet, authorities began to suspect that Hogue wasn't a 17-year-old student after all.
Again, he fled town and landed in Colorado. Posing as a graduate student and college professor, Hogue found work at a sports training facility.
Under the alias Alexi Santana, he received a scholarship to Princeton University, where he competed again on the cross country team. After being recognized by a former schoolmate from California, Hogue was arrested for wrongful impersonation and forced to pay back the financial aid he received at Princeton.
Hogue then moved on to another Ivy League University, working as a security guard at Harvard University. While at Harvard, Hogue was arrested for stealing nearly $50,000 in jewelry from a museum and returned to jail.
Hogue's next run-in with the police came in 1997, when he was arrested for stealing a bike in Aspen, Colorado. One year later, he arrested again in Aspen for stealing Rogaine.
In 2007, Hogue was convicted of felony theft and confessed to stealing thousands of items from homes in Colorado.
Hogue was arrested again this week after being spotted at a library in Aspen. Police had been investigating his connection to an illegal building on Aspen Mountain, where they believe he had been living.
Over the years, he's been convicted of, at least, seven felonies ranging from false impersonation, fraud, forgery and theft.
Hogue was never charged with any crimes during his stay in Wyoming. For some strange reason, he's been on the run ever since he left Laramie over 40 years ago.