Fugitive who stole identity of college grad pleads guilty to fraud
Summary
Stephen Craig Campbell stole the identity of a college graduate who died in 1975 and used it for over 40 years to avoid arrest on an attempted murder charge. He was arrested in New Mexico in 2025 and pleaded guilty to multiple fraud-related charges.Key Facts
- Campbell assumed the identity of Walter Lee Coffman, who died in a car accident at age 22 in 1975.
- Campbell was wanted for a 1983 attempted murder charge in Wyoming and managed to avoid arrest for four decades.
- He applied for and renewed a U.S. passport under Coffman’s name starting in 1984, using his own photo and address.
- Campbell obtained a Social Security card in Coffman’s name in 1995 after getting the death records removed.
- He likely collected around $140,000 in government benefits using the false identity.
- Campbell bought property, renewed a driver’s license, and lived under Coffman’s name in New Mexico.
- He was arrested in February 2025 after a raid; officers found 57 firearms and ammunition at his home.
- Campbell admitted to planting an explosive device in 1982 that injured his estranged wife’s boyfriend’s girlfriend.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.