CT Man Arrested On Federal Charges After 40 Years On The Lam

TAMPA, FL — A Connecticut man accused of living under a false ID in Florida for more than 40 years to avoid prison time was recently arrested, according to a statement from prosecutors. Douglas E. Bennett, 76, of Clearwater, FL, was arrested Nov. 4 on charges of passport fraud and aggravated identity theft.

In 1975, Bennett was convicted by a jury in Connecticut of robbery, kidnapping, sexual contact, rape, and deviate sexual intercourse.

Prosecutors said Bennett violently attacked a 22-year-old Wethersfield woman in her home on Valentine's Day in 1974, The Courant reported. Prosecutors alleged that Bennett forced his way into the home with a handgun and wearing a mask, then robbed the victim, covered her eyes with tape, dragged her outside the home, and raped her.

He was sentenced to 9 to 18 years in Connecticut State Prison.

However, he never turned himself in to begin his sentence. Records show, in 1977, he assumed the identity of someone who had died in 1945, and he remained a fugitive for more than 40 years.

Bennett is accused of submitting a passport application using the name, date of birth, and Social Security number of an individual who had died in 1945. When applying for this passport, Bennett failed to disclose his true identity.

After his arrest Nov. 4, a fingerprint comparison confirmed that Bennett was the same person convicted in Connecticut in 1975, according to prosecutors. At the time of his arrest, he was in possession of a Florida driver license bearing the false identifying information, but containing Bennett’s photograph.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 12 years in federal prison.