81-Year-Old Fugitive Woodring Nabbed After Decade

Robert Anton Woodring, an 81-year-old fugitive with a long rap sheet, was finally caught after evading law enforcement for 37 years. The veteran criminal, once known in Fort Lauderdale, Boyton Beach, and Pompano Beach, faced the grim reality of his past when U.S. Marshals, with the support of the FBI and Mexican authorities, apprehended him in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Woodring’s saga began in 1975 when he was sentenced to a 10-month prison term after he attempted to prevent seizure of a yacht by unauthorized persons. His transgressions didn’t end there; he was also handed a seven-year sentence for mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

After failing to surrender in September 1977, Woodring vanished, only to resurface in December 2014 when U.S. Marshals tracked him down in Mexico. He was then flown to Los Angeles where he appeared in federal court and was ordered detained pending trial. Woodring waived his right to an identity hearing and removal hearing, setting the stage for his return to Miami.

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, commended the U.S. Marshals Service and FBI for their relentless pursuit of justice. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert T. Watson is handling the prosecution of Woodring, who is set to be arraigned on January 14, 2015.

Despite his advanced age, Woodring’s arrest serves as a stark reminder that even decades-old crimes can catch up with their perpetrators. For now, the fugitive faces a new chapter in his life, one that will likely see him spending time behind bars for his past transgressions.

A copy of this press release and related court documents can be found on the official websites of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls or the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.