Changes: Dr. John Anderson

Revision as of 19:12, 13 January 2021

Real Name: Unknown (at the time of the episode)
Aliases: Dr. John Anderson, Dr. Alfred Evans, Dr. John Miller, Dr. Michael Baker, Dr. Brown
Wanted For: Theft and Fraud
Missing Since: 1990

Case

Details: During the 1980s, a con-artist calling himself Dr. John Anderson was stealing jewelry, coins, and computers from people, but his name wasn't John Anderson nor was he a real doctor. The police are looking for him and are also trying to identify him.
In November 1986, Dr. Anderson met with coin dealer Mike Wills in Cincinnati, Ohio, interested in buying gold coins from him. He requested that Mike visit with him at a children's hospital to meet with his physician's investment group. Two days later, Dr. Anderson ordered $30,000 worth of gold coins. Mike agreed to bring the coins to the hospital when he addressed the investment group.
At 8 am on November 26, 1986, Mike arrived at the children's hospital. Dr. Anderson met with him privately before his meeting with the investment group. The two went to the ground floor, which was empty. They entered one room where Mike showed Dr. Anderson the coins. Dr. Anderson claimed that he had a safe upstairs that he planned to store the coins in. He then left, telling Mike that he would return momentarily.
Mike waited for several minutes, but when Dr. Anderson did not return, he went out to look for him. He asked a receptionist to page the doctor, but she claimed that there was no "Dr. Anderson" at the hospital. At that point, he realized that he had been conned.
Three years later, a "Dr. Alfred Evans" showed up at a coin shop in Albany, New York. He made several small purchases from coin dealer Wendell Williams. A few days later, Wendell received a $45,000 gold coin order from Evans via Federal Express. On November 4, Evans arrived at the shop, asking about his coin order. Since he did not order the coins, Wendell offered to sell him other gold coins instead. Evans planned to write him a check, but when he told him that he had to hold the coins until the check cleared, Evans changed his strategy. He waited until Wendell went to another customer. He then simply took the coins and left. He wrote a $30,000 check that was no good.
The only known photographs of "Dr. John Anderson" were taken at a bank in Massachusetts in 1990. This was the last known sighting of him.

Extra Notes: This case first aired on the October 30, 1991 episode.
Results: Captured. A viewer helped authorities identify the conman as Michael John Sabo, who had escaped from federal prison in 1979. On January 20, 1992, he was arrested at a motel in Roanoke, Virginia, as a result of another viewer's tip. He was charged with three counts of felony grand larceny. He was sentenced to several different prisons for different crimes. After spending 14 years in prison, he was released in 2009.
Sabo gave up his past as a con artist and now offers assistance and consulting services to businesses on white-collar crime and how to avoid being the victims of identity theft.
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 ==Case==
 '''Details:''' During the 1980s, a con-artist calling himself Dr. John Anderson was stealing jewelry, coins, and computers from people, but his name wasn't John Anderson nor was he a real doctor. The police are looking for him and are also trying to identify him.<br />
-In November 1986, Dr. Anderson met with coin dealer Mike Wills in Cincinnati, Ohio, interested in buying gold coins from him. He requested that Mike visit with him at children's hospital to meet with his physician's investment group. Two days later, Dr. Anderson ordered $30,000 worth of gold coins. Mike agreed to bring the coins to the hospital when he addressed the investment group.<br />
+In November 1986, Dr. Anderson met with coin dealer Mike Wills in Cincinnati, Ohio, interested in buying gold coins from him. He requested that Mike visit with him at a children's hospital to meet with his physician's investment group. Two days later, Dr. Anderson ordered $30,000 worth of gold coins. Mike agreed to bring the coins to the hospital when he addressed the investment group.<br />
-At 8 am on November 26, 1986, Mike arrived at children's hospital. Dr. Anderson met with him privately before his meeting with the investment group. The two went to the ground floor, which was empty. They entered one room where Mike showed Dr. Anderson the coins. Dr. Anderson claimed that he had a safe upstairs that he planned to store the coins in. He then left, telling Mike that he would return momentarily.<br />
+At 8 am on November 26, 1986, Mike arrived at the children's hospital. Dr. Anderson met with him privately before his meeting with the investment group. The two went to the ground floor, which was empty. They entered one room where Mike showed Dr. Anderson the coins. Dr. Anderson claimed that he had a safe upstairs that he planned to store the coins in. He then left, telling Mike that he would return momentarily.<br />
 Mike waited for several minutes, but when Dr. Anderson did not return, he went out to look for him. He asked a receptionist to page the doctor, but she claimed that there was no "Dr. Anderson" at the hospital. At that point, he realized that he had been conned.<br />
 Three years later, a "Dr. Alfred Evans" showed up at a coin shop in Albany, New York. He made several small purchases from coin dealer Wendell Williams. A few days later, Wendell received a $45,000 gold coin order from Evans via Federal Express. On November 4, Evans arrived at the shop, asking about his coin order. Since he did not order the coins, Wendell offered to sell him other gold coins instead. Evans planned to write him a check, but when he told him that he had to hold the coins until the check cleared, Evans changed his strategy. He waited until Wendell went to another customer. He then simply took the coins and left. He wrote a $30,000 check that was no good.<br />