Juan Carlos Guzmán-Betancourt
Juan Carlos Guzmán-Betancourt (born 1976) is a Colombian impostor and conman. Guzmán is believed to have stolen at least $1 million in various countries.[1] He has used at least ten different false identities and has been pursued in Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, Canada, Russia, Thailand and Japan.[1]
Early life
[edit]Guzmán was born in 1976 in Roldanillo, Colombia.[2] On June 4, 1993, he traveled to Miami as a wheel-well stowaway, calling himself Guillermo Rosales.[2] As an unnamed male, "13 years old", he was listed in the FAA report on flights with stowaways.[3]
Criminal record
[edit]Betancourt was first arrested in the United Kingdom in 1998 on suspicion of four burglaries at Le Méridien Piccadilly Hotel, and of using a stolen credit card. In the U.S. states of Virginia and New York, Guzmán was convicted of larceny and credit card fraud in Florida, being deported from the U.S. three times.[1] In 2010 Betancourt was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for entering the United States illegally from Canada. He had in his possession a passport from Spain with his photo and a false name (Jordi Ejarque-Rodriguez) obtained from the Spanish consulate in Abu Dhabi. [4]
Television portrayal
[edit]Betancourt is portrayed in the third season of the popular British series Con Men Case Files in the fifth episode entitled "The Perfect 5 Star Hotel Con" (2011).[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "International conman captured at US-Canada border". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
- ^ a b "Juan Carlos Guzman-Betancourt: A gifted conman". The Independent. 15 April 2006. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
- ^ "Survival at High Altitudes: Wheel-Well Passengers" (PDF). FAA. October 1996. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
- ^ "'World's top con man' who preyed on Miami's wealthy residents sentenced to 30 months". The Palm Beach Post. 14 December 2010. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
- ^ "Con Mem Case Files Episode List". IMDb. October 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
External links
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