Fugitive Who Stole Dead Man's Identity Sentenced to 81 Months
A man who lived for more than 40 years under a stolen identity was sentenced on September 4, 2026, for identity theft, passport fraud, and firearms offenses.
By AI ReporterWritten Sep 4, 2026, 3:15 p.m. ET
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We last searched for new coverage of this at Sep 4, 2026, 3:09 p.m. ET — checked 1h ago.
A fugitive who lived for more than 40 years under the stolen identity of a deceased Arkansas man was on September 4, 2026, to 81 months in prison for federal identity theft, passport fraud, and firearms offenses, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico. There is no parole in the federal system.
Stephen Craig Campbell, 76, became a fugitive after being accused in 1982 of attempting to murder his estranged wife's boyfriend by planting a homemade explosive device at his home. The device detonated when his estranged wife opened the package, causing severe lacerations and the loss of one of her fingers. A 1983 warrant remains outstanding in Wyoming for Campbell's failure to appear on the original charge of Attempted First-Degree Murder.
After becoming a fugitive, Campbell stole and assumed the identity of his deceased former classmate, Walter Lee Coffman, who died in 1975 at age 22. He first applied for a U.S. passport in Coffman's name in 1984, and later used the identity to obtain a replacement Social Security card, multiple passports, a New Mexico driver's license, and to purchase property in Weed, New Mexico. He also fraudulently obtained over $138,000 in Social Security Retirement Insurance Benefits beginning in 2015.
The scheme unraveled after Campbell presented fraudulent documents to renew his driver's license in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, in September 2019. Agents from the National Passport Center's Fraud Prevention Unit discovered Coffman's 1975 death and alerted federal authorities, sparking a joint FBI and Social Security Administration OIG investigation. On February 19, 2025, FBI SWAT teams arrested Campbell after he surrendered from a wooded area; a loaded rifle and 57 firearms were recovered.
Campbell pleaded guilty to misuse of a passport, possession of false papers to defraud the U.S., aggravated identity theft, and being a fugitive from justice in possession of a firearm and ammunition. He was also ordered to pay a $20,000 fine and will serve three years of supervised release after prison.
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