As a decade, the 1970s are marked by the passing of the Hoover era. J. Edgar Hoover had formed and defined the Bureau for nearly a half century. He was succeeded by a long list of short-term directors throughout the Nixon – Ford – Carter era who could not match Hoover's larger persona. Eventually, Director William H. Webster brought stability to Bureau, during the President Reagan era.
On the 1970s top 10 list, perhaps the most notable is the 2nd appearance of James Earl Ray, in 1977. Additionally, in 1971 the list was completely filled with long-time fugitives, who persistently evaded capture, leading to the very first year in which the FBI found it impractical to add any new fugitives to the top ten list. In 1970, the FBI had packed the list with an extraordinary number of "Special Additions" of whom most evaded capture. Consequently, the 1971 list opened with a total of sixteen wanted fugitives at large, nearly twice as many as would typically appear on the list at any other given time. By the end of the year 1971, three of the listed wanted fugitives had been captured, bringing the opening 1972 list down to a still extraordinarily large number of thirteen fugitives. Due to further removals from the list in 1972, the FBI found justification to finally list a single new Fugitive late that year.
The FBI in the past has identified individuals by the sequence number in which each individual has appeared on the list. Some individuals have even appeared twice, and often a sequence number was permanently assigned to an individual suspect who was soon caught, captured, or simply removed, before his or her appearance could be published on the publicly released list. In those cases, the public would see only gaps in the number sequence reported by the FBI. For convenient reference, the wanted suspect's sequence number and date of entry on the FBI list appear below, whenever possible.
As the decade began, the following fugitives were the FBI's Ten Most Wanted:
• Arrested in New Orleans, December 22, 1971. Sentenced to life in prison without parole • Arrington was the second woman to appear on the list since the list began.[1]
• Bank robber, appeared on the list after escaping prison. Dropped from the list on May 5, 1977, captured in 1978. He was the father of the Las Vegas shooter, Stephen Paddock.
Joseph Lloyd Thomas
#304
1969
• Arrested March 8, 1970
The tenth space had just opened up at the end of the year 1969, but was promptly filled by a new individual on the list in the first week of 1970.
James John Byrnes escaped custody in Kansas and was wanted for kidnapping two people and stealing a plane.[5] He was arrested April 17, 1970 in Huntington Beach, California.
Edmund James Devlin
#306
March 6, 1970
Five months
Edmund James Devlin was the leader of a gang of bank robbers and was sought for his involvement in a Norwalk, Connecticut bank robbery where he made off with $106,333.[6] He was arrested August 15, 1970 in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Lawrence Robert Plamondon was wanted after fleeing his indictment for his involvement in the bombing of a CIA office in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on September 29, 1968. He is a co-founder of the White Panther Party and its Minister of Defense.[7] He was arrested July 23, 1970 in Mackinac County, Michigan after being stopped by state police when an occupant of his van threw a can out of the window. A license plate check through the NCIC identified Plamondon.
Hubert Geroid Brown In 1967, gave a speech in Cambridge, Maryland, where he told the crowd to "burn America down," which resulted in riots and a shooting. After fleeing, he was a target of the FBI's COINTELPRO program.[8] He was captured October 16, 1971 during an armed robbery in New York City after being seriously wounded in a gunfight with local police.
Angela Yvonne Davis was captured October 13, 1970 at a motel room in New York City. She had fled California and evaded the police for over two months. She was charged in California with conspiracy, kidnapping, and homicide, due to her alleged participation in an escape attempt of George Jackson, a Black Panther Party member, from the Marin County Hall of Justice during his trial, in which the judge, Harold Haley, was shot to death after being taken outside into a van. She was exonerated on all charges in 1972 after being held in a Women's Detention Center in New York City.
Dwight Alan Armstrong was removed from the list on April 1, 1976, because he no longer met the list criteria. He was eventually arrested in April 1977 in connection with the Sterling Hall bombing. He was sentenced to seven years for second-degree murder on May 5, 1977, and was paroled in 1980.[9]
Karleton Lewis Armstrong was apprehended February 16, 1972 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He was returned to the United States in March 1973 where he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and arson in the Sterling Hall bombing. He was sentenced to 23 years, but had his prison sentence reduced and was freed in February 1980.[9]
David Sylvan Fine was arrested January 8, 1976 in San Rafael, California in connection to the Sterling Hall bombing. He was sentenced to seven years for second-degree murder and eventually released in August 1979.[9]
Leo Frederick Burt was removed from the list on April 7, 1976, because he no longer met the list criteria. Burt has not been captured and is still at large with state charges still pending against him in connection to the Sterling Hall bombing.
Katherine Ann Power alongside Susan Edith Saxe (#316), robbed a series of banks where one lead to the death of a police officer, where she drove the getaway car. She was removed from the list on June 15, 1984, because she no longer met the list criteria, but surrendered to authorities in 1993. She pleaded guilty and was imprisoned in Massachusetts for six years before being released on 14-years' probation.[10][11]
Susan Edith Saxe was a part of a series of bank robberies with Katherine Ann Power (#315) to fund anti-government movements during the Vietnam war.[11] She was arrested March 27, 1975 in Philadelphia after a Philadelphia officer recognized her from a photo distributed by the FBI the same day.
Mace Brown, a hired killer, was on death row for shooting a witness in the head in connection to a drug case. He then escaped an Alabama prison with seven others.[12] He was killed by police officers in a bank robbery shootout on April 18, 1973, in New York City during which the bank robbers took hostages.[13]
Herman Bell, ambushed and fatally shot in the back, officers Joseph A. Piagentini and Waverly M. Jones, outside a housing project in Harlem on May 21, 1971. He and two others cited their ongoing war with the United States as members of the Black Liberation Army as their reasoning for the murders.[14] He was arrested September 2, 1973 in New Orleans by the FBI and local officers.
Twymon Ford Myers, a member of the Black Liberation Army, was wanted for the non-fatal shootings of four New York police officers and a robbery.[15] He was killed November 14, 1973 in the Bronx, New York, during a shootout with the FBI and the New York Police Department.
Ronald Harvey
#320
December 7, 1973
Three months
Ronald Harvey was wanted in connection for the murder of Major B. Saxon and six others which included five children when he failed to show for a line up. The motive was believed to be a dispute between two Muslim sects in Washington.[16][17] He was arrested March 27, 1974 in Chicago.
Samuel Richard Christian, founder of the Philadelphia Black Mafia, was wanted for his connection to the murder of Major B. Saxon and six others as well as the 1972 murder of Tyrone "Fat Ty" Palmer.[18] He was arrested December 12, 1973 in Detroit.
Rudolph Alonza Turner was arrested October 1, 1974 in Jacksonville, Florida, by FBI agents.
Larry Gene Cole
#323
April 2, 1974
One day
Larry Gene Cole was arrested April 3, 1974. He kidnapped a real estate agent alongside his wife and demanded a $25,000 ransom from the victim's husband who he worked for. They were apprehended near Buffalo, New York.[19] When Cole was first approached, he claimed to be part of the Special Investigation, Department of Justice.
James Ellsworth Jones
#324
April 2, 1974
Two months
James Ellsworth Jones was wanted for the kidnapping of Leland Norris Davenport from a gas station Mint Springs, just off highway I-81. Though Davenport was later found murdered, Jones was not charged with his murder, but rather his kidnapping.[20] He was arrested June 15, 1974 in Coral Gables, Florida, after an off-duty police officer recognized Jones from an FBI Wanted Notice in the police department.
Lendell Hunter
#325
June 27, 1974
One month
Lendell Hunter was wanted for escaping prison while serving three sentences for the rape and a murder of a 78-year-old woman and an assault of her 12-year-old grandson in Augusta, Georgia. He was arrested July 31, 1974 in Des Moines, Iowa.
John Edward Copeland
#326
August 15, 1974
One year
John Edward Copeland was wanted for a series of rapes in California.[21] He was arrested July 23, 1975 due to citizen cooperation, in Dorchester, Massachusetts, after riding his bicycle home.
Melvin Dale Walker
#327
October 16, 1974
Three weeks
Melvin Dale Walker was wanted for escaping prison in Pennsylvania while serving time for bank robbery.[22] He was apprehended November 9, 1974 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, after entering a house staked out by agents on the inside and outside of the house. He attempted to escape by car but was arrested.
Thomas Otis Knight was a convicted murderer who escaped the Miami-Dade County Jail with ten other prisoners on September 19, 1974. He was arrested December 31, 1974 in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.[23] Though heavily armed and barricaded behind a door in a rooming house, he was overwhelmed by the FBI SWAT Team. He was executed for his crimes on January 7, 2014, at Florida State Prison.
Billy Dean Anderson was wanted for escaping the Morgan County Jail with another inmate while serving time for shooting a deputy.[24] He was killed July 7, 1979 in Pall Mall, Tennessee, during a shootout with police. The lead was based on information from an informant known as "Mountain Man."
Robert Gerald Davis
#330
April 4, 1975
Two years
Robert Gerald Davis was sought for murder. He was arrested August 5, 1977 in Venice, California.[25]
Richard Dean Holtan
#331
April 18, 1975
Three months
Richard Dean Holtan was wanted for armed robbery and murder in Omaha, Nebraska after he robbed a local bar. He then forced the bartender and two patrons into a bathroom. he then shot the bartender, killing him, while wounding a patron.[26] He was arrested July 12, 1975 by local authorities in Kauai, Hawaii.
Richard Bernard Lindhorst Jr.
#332
August 4, 1975
Three days
Richard Bernard Lindhorst Jr. was wanted for robbing Farmers Savings Bank in Wever, Iowa.[27] He was arrested August 7, 1975 in Pensacola, Florida, by FBI agents and local police.
William Lewis Herron Jr.
#333
August 15, 1975
Two months
William Lewis Herron Jr., a professional killer, pleaded guilty to shooting Robert Bussen in the head and killing St. Charles Sherriff Lieutenant, Albert H. Musterman.[28] He was later charged with kidnapping and escape when he escaped Kentucky State Prison and tied a guard to a tree.[29] He was arrested October 30, 1975 in Peoria, Illinois.
James Winston Smallwood
#334
August 29, 1975
Four months
James Winston Smallwood was one of three men who held up the Maryland Bank and Trust Company in Lexington Park, Maryland, on May 19, 1975.[30] He was arrested December 5, 1975 in Landover, Maryland, after being located in the trunk of a vehicle used in a bank robbery in Maryland.
Leonard Peltier become an infamous cause célèbre of the American Indian Movement (AIM), for alleged irregularities in his trial. He was arrested February 6, 1976 in Hinton, Alberta, Canada by Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He was convicted in 1977 and sentenced to two consecutive terms of life imprisonment for the execution-style murders of two FBI agents.
Patrick James Huston escaped a lower Manhattan prison with five others while awaiting trial for bank robbery.[31] He was arrested December 7, 1977 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Thomas Edward Bethea
#337
March 5, 1976
Two months
Thomas Edward Bethea was wanted with seven others for their involvement in the kidnapping of Washington truck executive, Alan Lewis Bortnick, where they demanded a $250,000 ransom.[32] He was arrested May 5, 1976 in the Bahamas by Bahamian authorities. He was transferred into FBI custody upon his arrival in Miami.
Anthony Michael Juliano part of a bank robbing duo called the "Mutt and Jeff" team, they were responsible for 38 bank robberies in the 1970s. He was arrested and fled after violating his parole when he obtained a .380 handgun.[33] He was arrested March 22, 1976 in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, after a meter maid recognized him in a parked car.
Joseph Maurice McDonald, a contract killer for the Winter Hill Gang, was wanted for dozens of crimes, which included multiple murders, witness intimidation, fraud schemes, and mob ties to James "Whitey" Bulger.[34] He was arrested September 15, 1982 at Penn Station in New York City by local police.
James Ray Renton
#340
April 7, 1976
One year
James Ray Renton was arrested May 9, 1977 in Aurora, Colorado. He was wanted for killing a police officer.[35]
Nathaniel Doyle Jr.
#341
April 29, 1976
Three months
Nathaniel Doyle Jr. was killed in a shootout on July 15, 1976, with local police in Seattle. He was wanted for a bank robbery.[36]
Morris Lynn Johnson was wanted after escaping an Selma, Alabama prison where he was serving time for bank robbery and other numerous crimes.[37] He was taken into custody on June 26, 1976, in New Orleans after trying to run away along a canal bank.
Edward Patrick Gullion was wanted for bank robbery and a series of bombings across New England as part of a self-titled radical prison reform group called the Fred Hampton Unit of the People's Forces.[38][41] He was arrested October 22, 1976 in Providence, Rhode Island, where he was employed at a jewelry store.[42]
Gerhardt Julius Schwartz
#345
November 18, 1976
Four days
Gerhardt Julius Schwartz was arrested November 22, 1976 in the Bronx section of New York City after the police received a tip from a telephone call from New Rochelle, New York. He was wanted for bank robbery and other crimes.[43]
Francis John Martin
#346
December 17, 1976
Two months
Francis John Martin was wanted for escaping Delaware State Prison with three others while serving a sentence for armed kidnapping and rape.[44] He was arrested February 17, 1977 in Newport Beach, California, after a tip from a telephone call.[45]
Benjamin George Pavan was arrested February 17, 1977 in Seattle after a tip from a telephone call. He was sought for armed robbery.[46]
Larry Gene Campbell
#348
March 18, 1977
Six months
Larry Gene Campbell Larry Campbell was released from Fishkill Correctional Facility on December 19, 1975, and enrolled as a student at the Buffalo State University. Under the program, he was sponsored by a professor and lived in a dorm with the professor son where he made several friends. On June 9, 1976, at an apartment one block from the college, Campbell murdered Thomas Tunney, raped and murdered Rhona Eiseman, and stabbed Michael Schostick six times while a fourth friend, Teresa Beynard escaped. Schostick survived his injuries.[47] He was arrested September 6, 1977 in Atlanta after a neighbor recognized him from a wanted flyer in the local post office.
Roy Ellsworth Smith
#349
March 18, 1977
Three months
Roy Ellsworth Smith was wanted for the murder of two children in Kirkland, Ohio.[48] He was found to have hanged himself on June 2, 1977, in Perry Township, Ohio, by the Lake County Sheriff's Department of Painesville, Ohio.
Raymond Luc Levasseur is the former leader of the United Freedom Front, committed a series of bombings and bank robberies throughout the United States in protest to US intervention in Central America among other issues.[49][50][51] He was arrested November 4, 1984 in Deerfield, Ohio, by FBI agents while traveling in his car with his common-law wife and their three children.
James Earl Ray made his second appearance on the list (previously #277, in 1968, for the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.) after a June 10 escape with 6 other convicts from state prison. He was apprehended not far from the prison in Brushy Mountain, Tennessee, on June 13, 1977. Using bloodhounds, the prison authorities found Ray hiding beneath some leaves in a wooded area.
Willie Foster Sellers
#352
June 14, 1977
Two years
Willie Foster Sellers, the reputed leader of the Dawson Gang,[52] claimed to have robbed more than 100 banks for more than $8 million in the 1970s. He was arrested June 20, 1979 in Atlanta upon his arrival at the Delta Air Lines freight dock.
Larry Smith
#353
July 15, 1977
One month
Larry Smith was wanted for fleeing custody while on parole for armed robbery in Texas. He was also wanted for his connection to a contract killing with two others. He would later testify against the others as a material witness.[53] He was arrested August 20, 1977 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, by the Metropolitan Toronto Police Force. He was pulled over for illegally driving past a street car's open door. Smith was identified by his fingerprints and delivered to American authorities.
Ralph Robert Cozzolino
#354
October 19, 1977
Three months
Ralph Robert Cozzolino was wanted for the murder of a Chattanooga police officer.[54] He was eventually sent to Alcatraz after repeated escape attempts.[55] He was arrested January 6, 1978 in Jonesboro, Georgia.
Millard Oscar Hubbard
#355
October 19, 1977
Two days
Millard Oscar Hubbard was sought for armed bank robbery, were he robbed a bank with a pistol and an M16 rifle.[56] He was arrested October 21, 1977 in Lexington, Kentucky, after a tip from locals.
Carlos Alberto Torres was the leader of the FALN, a Puerto Rican, clandestine, paramilitary organization that advocated independence for Puerto Rico that committed nearly 100 bombings in U.S. cities.[57] He was arrested April 4, 1980 after a car rental agency reported a stolen van to the police. Torres was arrested in Evanston, Illinois, after locals noticed a suspicious van parked in the neighborhood and contacted the police.
Enrique Estrada
#357
December 5, 1977
Three days
Enrique Estrada was wanted for murder and robbery.[58] He was arrested December 8, 1977 in Bakersfield, California, by the Narcotics Task Force of the Kern County Sheriff's Office. Narcotics officers had been following a suspect known as "Hank" and after seeing Wanted Flyers realized he was Estrada.
William David Smith was wanted for bank robbery and the execution style murder of his ex-wife's husband while on parole.[59] He was arrested October 27, 1978 in Chicago following a telephone tip.
Gary Ronald Warren
#359
February 10, 1978
Three months
Gary Ronald Warren was wanted after escaping a Florida prison while serving a sentence for bank robbery.[60] He was arrested May 12, 1978 in Cumberland, Maryland, by the FBI and local police.
Theodore Robert Bundy was arrested by local police February 14, 1978 in Pensacola, Florida, after he was stopped for speeding while driving a stolen vehicle, and NCIC came back with a hit. Bundy was wanted for twice escaping from jail, in June 9, 1977, and in December 1977, while being held on a murder charge.
Andrew Evan Gipson
#361
March 27, 1978
Two months
Andrew Evan Gipson was wanted for escaping prison.[61] He was arrested May 24, 1978 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Anthony Dominic Liberatore
#362
May 24, 1978
One year
Anthony Dominic Liberatore was a mobster in the Cleveland crime family and who killed Daniel Greene in a bombing, in an effort to take control of the mob scene.[62][63] He was arrested April 1, 1979 in Eastlake, Ohio, by FBI agents and local police, while he was in bed alone in a house considered "safe" by organized crime in the area.
Michael George Thevis, a.k.a. "The King of Pornography", was wanted for escaping an Indiana jail after he received 14 federal indictments for racketeering that accused him of using murder, extortion and arson to get rid of competitors to his chain of 200 businesses that grossed an estimated $5 million to $10 million a year in the pornography trade. He was arrested November 9, 1978 in Bloomfield, Connecticut, by FBI agents and local police while trying to make a large withdrawal of cash from a bank.[64]
Charles Everett Hughes
#364
November 19, 1978
Three years
Charles Everett Hughes was wanted for the shooting murders of four teenagers who accidentally came across his marijuana smuggling operation in Florida.[65] He then weighed their bodies down with concrete blocks and dropped them into a sinkhole.[66] He was arrested April 29, 1981 in Myrtle, Mississippi, by FBI agents and local police while working in a car repair shop.
Ronald Lee Lyons
#365
December 17, 1978
Nine months
Ronald Lee Lyons was wanted for escaping prison along with three others when out on a recreational trip at a bowling alley. Sawed off shotguns that were hidden in the ceiling were used before the four went on a two-day crime spree where they kidnapped eight people, stole six vehicles, and hijacked a private plane with its pilot.[67] He was arrested September 10, 1979 in Hungry Valley, Nevada, by FBI agents and the Washoe County Sheriff's department.
Leo Joseph Koury was wanted for a slue of crimes including attempted kidnapping, extortion, mail fraud, and attempted kidnapping. He owned several gay bars and was a known thug in The Block community using his influence to exploit the gay community.[68] He was found dead on June 16, 1991, in San Diego from massive cerebral vascular hypertension.
John William Sherman
#367
August 3, 1979
Two years
John William Sherman, a former member of the George Jackson Brigade, escaped prison where he was serving time for revolutionary terrorism and bank robbery. He was suspected to be involved in 14 bank robberies and 11 bombings in connection to the terrorist group.[69] He was arrested December 17, 1981 in Golden, Colorado, while he was getting into his car outside his residence.
Melvin Bay Guyon
#368
August 9, 1979
One week
Melvin Bay Guyon was wanted for kidnapping, rape and armed robbery. On August 9, 1979, he shot and killed Special Agent Johnnie Oliver who was part of a five-member SWAT team tasked with apprehending him. After shooting Oliver, Guyon was placed on the list.[70][71] He surrendered on August 16, 1979, after a short gun battle with FBI agents in Youngstown, Ohio, at Southside General Hospital where he was seeking medical attention.
George Alvin Bruton
#369
September 28, 1979
Three months
George Alvin Bruton was wanted for multiple crimes including burglary and the murders of a former prison-mate and their girlfriend, who were involved in a burglary ring.[72] He was a known drug dealer who shot two FBI agents and had taken hostages.[73] He was arrested December 14, 1979 in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Earl Edwin Austin was wanted for a series of bank robberies. He was arrested March 1, 1980 in his apartment in Tucson, Arizona. Upon a his arrest while robbing another bank, he bragged about being a top ten fugitive.[74]
Vincent James Russo
#371
December 24, 1979
Six years
Vincent James Russo, a Marine Sergeant at the time, robbed a liquor store, kidnapped the clerk, took him to a rural area before shooting him execution style. However, the victim survived.[75] He was arrested January 4, 1985 at his home in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.