Post by Scumhunter on Apr 11, 2020 2:05:18 GMT -5
I sometimes see online assumptions about the fbi top ten most wanted list online and elsewhere so I wanted to make a few points to reference if I wanted to bring these up.
1. "The top ten list is the top ten fugitives the FBI wants caught the most"- Wrong. The top ten list is actually a publicity tool and basically the top ten fugitives the FBI wants caught the most AND they think can be caught via publicity and public tips. Obviously there are some guys like Robert Fisher and Yaser Said who seemed destined to be placed on there no matter what. However, when the FBI added Eric Toth in 2012, for example, they explicitly ysaid they were adding him because his height and distinctive mole made him more likely to be caught than other crimes against children fugitives who could have been added to the list. That's not to say his crimes weren't terrible, and I don't like "ranking" cases but it was basically an admission that if there was someone also as deserving in the crimes against children category, they might not have made it because the FBI didn't think the extra publicity would have been as likely to result in a capture as it would with Toth. (And they were right).
There are also some cases like Rafael Caro-Quintero where they are seemingly added to put pressure on a country to send them back rather than it being about a tip from someone seeing his photo on their laptop, but that still falls somewhat under publicity.
In other words, there's a lot of guys/girls they want to catch, and the top ten is for the most part the most likely to be caught (in their opinion) out of their candidates.
2. Overall most wanted vs. Most wanted- This is one where it is mainly the news media that gets it wrong- they can't tell that the website in addition to the top ten list has different sections- most wanted for crimes against children, white collar crimes etc... and when a fugitive from those sections gets caught they erroneously refer to them as a "top ten fugitive."
3. Not all cases shown on AMW, In Pursuit or elsewhere are eligible to be considered FBI cases. This is the one admittedly I'm even iffy on but it seems some fugitives are mainly the U.S. Marshals priority as opposed to the FBI's. There are some cases like Bucky Phillips when he was on both the USMS Top 15 and FBI Top 10 that fall under both jurisdictions but the usual answer as to "why can't this guy be on both lists" or the other list is usually it is one agency that is primarily handling the case.
The Marshals are usually the default agency for fugitive searches. This is an assumption on my part, but it seems the FBI primary gets involved when there is an unlawful flight to avoid prosecution (UFAP) charge filed in federal court and it believed the fugitive fled across state lines. At the same time, this seems to sometimes apply to Marshals cases as well, but it seems more prevalent in FBI cases.
But once again for whatever reason it.seems a fugitive as bad as they are may be ineligible for one list or the other because it is the other agency's priority.
That's all for now but I'll add more misconceptions if I think of them later.
1. "The top ten list is the top ten fugitives the FBI wants caught the most"- Wrong. The top ten list is actually a publicity tool and basically the top ten fugitives the FBI wants caught the most AND they think can be caught via publicity and public tips. Obviously there are some guys like Robert Fisher and Yaser Said who seemed destined to be placed on there no matter what. However, when the FBI added Eric Toth in 2012, for example, they explicitly ysaid they were adding him because his height and distinctive mole made him more likely to be caught than other crimes against children fugitives who could have been added to the list. That's not to say his crimes weren't terrible, and I don't like "ranking" cases but it was basically an admission that if there was someone also as deserving in the crimes against children category, they might not have made it because the FBI didn't think the extra publicity would have been as likely to result in a capture as it would with Toth. (And they were right).
There are also some cases like Rafael Caro-Quintero where they are seemingly added to put pressure on a country to send them back rather than it being about a tip from someone seeing his photo on their laptop, but that still falls somewhat under publicity.
In other words, there's a lot of guys/girls they want to catch, and the top ten is for the most part the most likely to be caught (in their opinion) out of their candidates.
2. Overall most wanted vs. Most wanted- This is one where it is mainly the news media that gets it wrong- they can't tell that the website in addition to the top ten list has different sections- most wanted for crimes against children, white collar crimes etc... and when a fugitive from those sections gets caught they erroneously refer to them as a "top ten fugitive."
3. Not all cases shown on AMW, In Pursuit or elsewhere are eligible to be considered FBI cases. This is the one admittedly I'm even iffy on but it seems some fugitives are mainly the U.S. Marshals priority as opposed to the FBI's. There are some cases like Bucky Phillips when he was on both the USMS Top 15 and FBI Top 10 that fall under both jurisdictions but the usual answer as to "why can't this guy be on both lists" or the other list is usually it is one agency that is primarily handling the case.
The Marshals are usually the default agency for fugitive searches. This is an assumption on my part, but it seems the FBI primary gets involved when there is an unlawful flight to avoid prosecution (UFAP) charge filed in federal court and it believed the fugitive fled across state lines. At the same time, this seems to sometimes apply to Marshals cases as well, but it seems more prevalent in FBI cases.
But once again for whatever reason it.seems a fugitive as bad as they are may be ineligible for one list or the other because it is the other agency's priority.
That's all for now but I'll add more misconceptions if I think of them later.
