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Post by Scumhunter on Jan 12, 2013 10:52:07 GMT -5
 (Above photo credit: astro.com) Fugitive Profile as of August 19th, 2014 (Based on FBI.gov profile): Aliases: Victor Ortiz, Victor M. Gerena Ortiz Date(s) of Birth Used: June 24, 1958 Place of Birth: New York, New York Height: 5'6" to 5'7" Weight: 160 to 169 pounds Build: Medium/Stocky Occupations: Machinist, Security Guard Hair: Brown Eyes: Green Complexion:Dark/Medium Sex: Male Race: White (Hispanic) Nationality:American (Puerto Rican descent) Scars and Marks: Gerena has a one-inch scar and a mole on his right shoulder blade. Tips: If you have any information on the whereabouts of Victor Gerena, call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a web tip at tips.fbi.govThis thread is to discuss FBI top 10 fugitive Victor Gerena, who holds the record of longest time on the FBI's top 10 list- 30 years! Below is an AMW archived description of his case (very slightly edited). Feel free to add your comments and thoughts on this case after the OP. Elusive Bank Robber Lands On FBI's Top Ten ListVictor Gerena, one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, is wanted for the 1983 robbery of a Wells Fargo armored truck depot in West Hartford, Conn. The FBI says on September 12, 1983, Gerena took two of his fellow Wells Fargo employees hostage and escaped with $7 million. According to federal authorities, Gerena pulled a gun, tied up his hostages, and injected them with an unknown sleep-inducing substance. Gerena then loaded the money into a rented Buick and fled to Massachusetts. The FBI says Gerena was recruited and trained for the robbery by Los Macheteros, a violent Puerto Rican independence movement. Agents state the Macheteros moved Gerena through Texas to Mexico in a trailer home, and then sent him to Cuba, where he may still be hiding. As a result of the FBI's intensive investigation into the robbery, 19 alleged Macheteros were indicted, resulting in numerous felony convictions. But 30 years later, Gerena remains on the loose, and his status as one of the FBI's most-wanted men proves that law enforcement officials won't give up until this thug is brought to justice.
*****************UPDATE***************************On Thursday, December 15th, 2016, Victor Gerena was removed from the Top 10 List but was still wanted by the FBI at the time of his removal. Gerena is believed to be hiding out in Cuba, who will not extradite him despite somewhat of a thaw in U.S. relations. Although not stated publicly, that and his three decades on the list without capture are assumed by this site to be among the reasons for his removal.
****************UPDATE********************************
Admin Note: If you have any (news-related) updated information on this case, please contact us here: amwfans.com/thread/1662/website-contact-form |
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Post by Scumhunter on Nov 19, 2014 19:04:02 GMT -5
Figured I'd bump this up since we never really got a discussion going on Gerena in his own thread. We only seem to mention his case when discussing other fugitives.  Obviously, one issue we've had with him being on the top 10 list for so long is because he's in Cuba where extradition is unlikely and a more catchable fugitive could conceivably replace him. But the tides seem to be turning now that the Castro brothers are getting up there in age and don't seem to be as much of a presence as they used to be even though they technically still run the country. Recently, Cuba extradited an American couple wanted for kidnapping and it seems they may have possibly taken on a newer attitude that extradition treaty or not, they don't want our criminals. So what do we think about Gerena's chances of getting caught in the next few years based on this? I also recall reading Gerena didn't even get as much of the money that he stole in total as a lot of it went to the movement. So I do also wonder if perhaps Gerena was killed off and that's the real reason it's been three decades and he still hasn't been caught. |
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Post by Scumhunter on Nov 20, 2014 9:38:03 GMT -5
All right, guess no one gives a crap LOL. |
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Post by HeadMarshal on Nov 20, 2014 10:41:26 GMT -5
To be honest, this case really doesn't interest me all that much, and it's not because he's only wanted for an armored car robbery. Why has he been on the FBI List all this time when Katherine Power who was involved in the murder of a Boston police officer was removed after 14 years on the FBI MW List (and later was arrested)?
Los Macheteros is still active so it's possible he's still being harbored by fellow members in Cuba or Puetro Rico.
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Post by robbiee on Nov 21, 2014 18:52:02 GMT -5
Mainly for the fact it was a armored truck, witch the fbi frowns upon if anybody pulls a hiest on one....especially for so much money...Even Anthony Shea didn't pull that much out of all the armored trucks he and his krew robbed...
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Post by King Of Clubs on Dec 28, 2014 13:48:43 GMT -5
I think the reason he has been on the most wanted list for so long is that he sought shelter in a longtime opponent of the U.S, which they certainly weren't too happy about.
Although, personally, i think gerena is deceased because it makes no sense for other fugitives with political asylum in cuba to be able to write books and/or speak publicly for foreign interviews, but not have a peep heard from, or about gerena for half a century.
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Post by тσρтєиhυитєя on Feb 4, 2016 18:18:09 GMT -5
Personally I feel either Gerena is hiding well inside of Cuba or he may be in Puerto Rico.... Plus after all the time that has passed and not hearing a peep you wonder if the Castro brothers killed Gerena off since he wanted a bit more like of the money.
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Post by тσρтєиhυитєя on Mar 19, 2016 17:02:02 GMT -5
The Cuba theory has gained significant momentum over the past 32 years and it's wierd we haven't heard anything from him if he is living in asylum there then he probably would have been talking about the robbery and his mission, but I doubt Cuba is where he is at this point... The Macheteros leadership was shot dead in a gun battle in Puerto Rico in 2005 and that's something nobody's looked into as much... Gerena does stand a good chance at capture if he is hiding in Plain sight there which explains why he wasn't removed. But also keep in mind that he does have supporters there too
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Post by Scumhunter on Mar 19, 2016 17:23:31 GMT -5
We haven't heard about him living openly yet every article about Cuba fugitives says he's believed to be living there, so perhaps authorities know something we don't know. (Which is of course well within their right to know while we don't).
I do think at one point, extradition or not, the FBI does have to consider the "threat to the public" factor when it comes to making room on the list.
I'm not making excuses and his victims still deserve justice, but most would agree he's the "least "worst" person on the list as far as what he did since no one died as a result of his crimes and it happened 32 years ago
So ironically, I could see them removing Gerena not because Cuba won't extradite, but simply because they deem Gerena no longer really a threat to the public.
But yeah with the relations thaw in Cuba, it's worth keeping him on the list a few more years in case it makes progress.
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Post by тσρтєиhυитєя on Mar 19, 2016 17:27:56 GMT -5
Oh yeah I hear ya, Gerena is the least worst fugitive as you said and perhaps chasing a guy who has probably been keeping a low profile the last 32 years should be the next one to be bumped from the list as I said on Fisher's thread. Like you said once, it'll be probably sometime in 2020 or 2022 till the FBI removes another fugitive and likely that being Gerena.
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Post by тσρтєиhυитєя on Apr 21, 2016 14:00:58 GMT -5
The FBI didn't rotate Gerena on their site and similar to what they did with Mogilevich. This was the first rotation in weeks but instead of Gerena being moved the other 9 were rotated. I have a feeling the FBI is close to removing him in the near future. Now it's too early to tell if Gerena's days will be numbered but maybe they wanted to skip him to Rotate the others instead.
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Post by Scumhunter on Apr 21, 2016 15:05:45 GMT -5
Didn't the FBI not change the rotation a few weeks ago, indicating they added somebody, yet they didn't add Brenda Delgado until 2 or 3 weeks later? I wouldn't look too much into it. I think the FBI is waiting for the continued improved US-Cuban relations to see if they can get Gerena back. If he's still on there in 2020, then I'd be surprised.
They could always decide he's no longer a threat and replace him with a newer fugitive anyway, but believe it or not, unlike Mogilevich who definitely is not getting extradited, "catchability" is NOT a reason to remove him from the list. At least not yet...
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Post by тσρтєиhυитєя on Apr 21, 2016 22:04:46 GMT -5
They did but they always do it weekly, but since Delgado didn't last too long I figured they would have rotated the fugitives around, but it's the first time in weeks and they skipped Gerena.
Perhaps the best case scenario is they are working behind the scenes with Cuban Authorities and have potentially located, have information or just begun the process to try to bring Gerena back and are leaving him at the bottom right just in case.
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Post by Scumhunter on Apr 22, 2016 6:45:49 GMT -5
I guess we'll see. I do see Gerena being removed a few years down the road if nothing else, I just hope it's because they got him back (although in all honesty, I wouldn't be too heartbroken if he got removed today- not forgiving his crimes but there's way too many good candidates for a guy whose crime was over three decades ago and didn't result in any deaths).
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Post by тσρтєиhυитєя on Apr 22, 2016 6:56:04 GMT -5
Oh yeah about the removal of fugitives, my opinion is the FBI removes only 2 a decade.
It's only a matter of when. All of us knew Mogilevich was done for but it was a matter of when.
Now honestly the current 9 I wouldn't want to remove at all today, Gerena even though he didn't kill anyone he stole a large sum of money, now they've arrested almost everyone in this case; the only thing missing is 80,000 and Victor Gerena.
It fits the puzzle perfectly that Gerena got a small split of the money or Cuba stashed it for themselves.
Honestly this is a guy I hope to see get captured sometime this decade.
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