General Category > DB Cooper
Missing Persons (Melvin Wilson)
Shutter:
Georger's response to Vicki
Vicki, as I recall the original story, and correct me if I am wrong - - -
Your father was a counterfeiter of some consequence. That was part of his vita. He was being sought by law enforcement and just prior to being taken into custody Melvin escaped with some of his counterfeiting paraphernalia, and he dumped his plates and some $200,000 dollars in counterfeit bills, which were found along some river along the route of his escape (I forget the city) in 1971. He was never seen again in spite of law enforcement doing an extensive search for him over a number of years. His loss of $200,000 dollars in bogus bills he had printed and intended to use, and Cooper's demand for $200,000 along with saying he had a "grudge", might be more than a coincidence.
Is this account true ? I believe there were newspaper articles detailing the above. ? If true, were these facts ever conveyed to Eng?
EVickiW:
I moved this over too..... 8)
Quote from: georger on October 7, 2014 at 09:33:19 AM
--- Quote ---The Lyle dna thingy - ;D
Will the FBI play ball with Blevy? Not likely. Will the FBI play ball with Arc Point Labs to the extent they will release their genetic work to Arc Point? Not likely. The FBI must be careful not to say or do anything that Blevy can leverage, because we know he will try to leverage this anyway.
If Arc Point refers their work to the FBI will the FBI comment? Maybe. Very likely they will say something and whatever they say Blevins will leverage it.
What Blevins may say, if the FBI releases no specific information to Arc Point or Blevy, is that 'the FBI's failure to specifically state Lyle/Kenny have not been excluded specifically means Lyle/Kenny were not excluded which means they are not excluded! In other words, that tests results proved Kenny is not excluded! In other words, Blevins will do what he always does - claims things that are not true or were not proven to be true.
Blevins will keep the pressure on for months if not years to come, just as Jo Weber tries to do daily. This could last years with endless 'articles' and 'filings' and 'revisions' ad nauseum. Blevins will now have material for a movie script ... which is what he and Lyle wanted all along. ;) A pulp novel about how Jack & Jill went up the hill, drank at the magical dna spring, and came down the hill as Thor and Brunnhilde with Siegfried at their side! A happy ending for all concerned uber alles, at the Adventure Books Well of DB Cooper. Arbeit macht frei. :P
--- End quote ---
When my liaison at NamUs You are not allowed to view links.
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Agent Eng,
Please accept this as my formal request to request the FBI lab to compare the DNA samples you have of D.B. Cooper, with the samples that the University of N. Texas has with one Melvin Wilson, UNT missing person MP# 15178.
This potential match has been requested before, but was not responded to.
Your assistance with this comparison would be greatly appreciated.
She received this canned response:
From: Dietrich, Ayn S. [You are not allowed to view links.
Register or Login]
Sent: Monday, December 16, 2013 5:32 PM
To: (hidden)
Cc: Eng, Curtis J.
Subject: RE: Request DNA comparison ref D.B. Cooper
Hello, (hidden)—
I work with Special Agent Eng in the FBI Seattle field office and I handle inquiries from the media and public. SA Eng forwarded me your email so I could explain to you the limitations we face in responding to your inquiry.
During any given investigation, the FBI receives many tips, follows many leads, and talks to many people. In accordance with DOJ policy, we cannot discuss details of ongoing investigations. This includes not disclosing subjects considered and/or excluded, and investigative techniques that may be used. I understand the public and valued partners to the FBI are curious about the FBI's investigative process, and they may rest assured that the FBI pursues all leads that we believe will provide us with information of investigative value.
SA Eng has received your messages and handled them appropriately. I apologize that we are unable to disclose the nature and extent of our investigative response.
Regards,
Ayn
If the FBI does not work with other associates within the Department of Justice system...why would they work with a local DNA testing agency?
EVickiW:
You are not allowed to view links.
Register or LoginGeorger's response to Vicki
Vicki, as I recall the original story, and correct me if I am wrong - - -
Your father was a counterfeiter of some consequence. That was part of his vita. He was being sought by law enforcement and just prior to being taken into custody Melvin escaped with some of his counterfeiting paraphernalia, and he dumped his plates and some $200,000 dollars in counterfeit bills, which were found along some river along the route of his escape (I forget the city) in 1971. He was never seen again in spite of law enforcement doing an extensive search for him over a number of years. His loss of $200,000 dollars in bogus bills he had printed and intended to use, and Cooper's demand for $200,000 along with saying he had a "grudge", might be more than a coincidence.
Is this account true ? I believe there were newspaper articles detailing the above. ? If true, were these facts ever conveyed to Eng?
--- End quote ---
The following facts should be in my father's file at the FBI, the Secret Service and the US Marshals. When I spoke with Eng, I referred him to my dad's FBI number and he pulled the computer file and looked at my father's information while speaking with me on the phone.
Melvin Wilson was the head of a major counterfeiting ring. He started counterfeiting in his own print shop on the strip in Las Vegas in 1965/66.
Our family moved to Minnesota in 1968 and lived in St. Paul.
We then moved north and for a short time lived in St. Cloud, MN then to Brainerd, MN in 1969.
While we lived in Brainerd, my father would travel between St. Paul and Brainerd to work. In a rented apartment in St. Paul he had a fully functional print shop where he rolled out the $20.00's. The US Marshal I spoke with called the bills "near deception quality".
On April 20, 1971 Melvin was arrested in Janesville, WI. for passing a counterfeit note to a bartender. When arrested he had a stash of counterfeit in the trunk of his vehicle.
On May 1st, a barrel of counterfeit $20's (note that UM states it was $250,000 and the newspapers of that time state $500,000 to $1 million), along with the plates, were found by a 17 y/o boy who was fishing in Alma, WI. When Mel was asked about this (as he was awaiting a court date in Dane County for the original charge), he confessed that the bills and plates were not perfect and he dumped them in the Mississippi River in the town of Wabasha, MN. in March of 1971.
I am not sure when, but a few months later he had gone through the court system and was found guilty. He was released from custody to take care of any business with the family, etc before returning in Mid September for his sentencing hearing. On the morning of September 15th, 1971, Melvin left our house in Brainerd, MN and drove to his sentencing hearing. I am not sure if this would have been St. Paul or Madison, WI. I believe it would have been Madison as the US Marshal's office that was investigating his fugitive status was located in Central Wisconsin.
Shortly afterwards, I remember two men in black suits talking to my mom in the living-room. My brother (6 y/o) and I (7 y/o) were listening while hiding in the kitchen. We heard them tell my mom that Melvin did not show up to the hearing and we would probably never see him again.
I tried to add a newspaper article from the time Melvin was arrested: Because of its size they cannot be uploaded. If it is something that anyone wants to see, I can email all 7 articles.
georger:
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Register or LoginYou are not allowed to view links.
Register or LoginGeorger's response to Vicki
Vicki, as I recall the original story, and correct me if I am wrong - - -
Your father was a counterfeiter of some consequence. That was part of his vita. He was being sought by law enforcement and just prior to being taken into custody Melvin escaped with some of his counterfeiting paraphernalia, and he dumped his plates and some $200,000 dollars in counterfeit bills, which were found along some river along the route of his escape (I forget the city) in 1971. He was never seen again in spite of law enforcement doing an extensive search for him over a number of years. His loss of $200,000 dollars in bogus bills he had printed and intended to use, and Cooper's demand for $200,000 along with saying he had a "grudge", might be more than a coincidence.
Is this account true ? I believe there were newspaper articles detailing the above. ? If true, were these facts ever conveyed to Eng?
--- End quote ---
The following facts should be in my father's file at the FBI, the Secret Service and the US Marshals. When I spoke with Eng, I referred him to my dad's FBI number and he pulled the computer file and looked at my father's information while speaking with me on the phone.
Melvin Wilson was the head of a major counterfeiting ring. He started counterfeiting in his own print shop on the strip in Las Vegas in 1965/66.
Our family moved to Minnesota in 1968 and lived in St. Paul.
We then moved north and for a short time lived in St. Cloud, MN then to Brainerd, MN in 1969.
While we lived in Brainerd, my father would travel between St. Paul and Brainerd to work. In a rented apartment in St. Paul he had a fully functional print shop where he rolled out the $20.00's. The US Marshal I spoke with called the bills "near deception quality".
On April 20, 1971 Melvin was arrested in Janesville, WI. for passing a counterfeit note to a bartender. When arrested he had a stash of counterfeit in the trunk of his vehicle.
On May 1st, a barrel of counterfeit $20's (note that UM states it was $250,000 and the newspapers of that time state $500,000 to $1 million), along with the plates, were found by a 17 y/o boy who was fishing in Alma, WI. When Mel was asked about this (as he was awaiting a court date in Dane County for the original charge), he confessed that the bills and plates were not perfect and he dumped them in the Mississippi River in the town of Wabasha, MN. in March of 1971.
I am not sure when, but a few months later he had gone through the court system and was found guilty. He was released from custody to take care of any business with the family, etc before returning in Mid September for his sentencing hearing. On the morning of September 15th, 1971, Melvin left our house in Brainerd, MN and drove to his sentencing hearing. I am not sure if this would have been St. Paul or Madison, WI. I believe it would have been Madison as the US Marshal's office that was investigating his fugitive status was located in Central Wisconsin.
Shortly afterwards, I remember two men in black suits talking to my mom in the living-room. My brother (6 y/o) and I (7 y/o) were listening while hiding in the kitchen. We heard them tell my mom that Melvin did not show up to the hearing and we would probably never see him again.
I tried to add a newspaper article from the time Melvin was arrested: Because of its size they cannot be uploaded. If it is something that anyone wants to see, I can email all 7 articles.
--- End quote ---
Did anyone ever conjecture he may have gone back south and from there into Mexico? He obviously had ties in organised crime in LasVegas. I'm surprised he was released at all, as a flight risk. It's difficult for those left behind to fathom, but it's not unusual for people of this type to break all ties and start over elsewhere.
Given that he was being sought I just don't see Melvin risking a journey to Washington to hijack a plane. Moreover with his skills, a $200,000 ransom is peanuts compared to what he could print and pass in a week - literally! He wouldn't take the risk of a hijack with such low return. He sounds like something of a perfectionist and his skills could have easily found him in a protected position with others, after he fled from MN.
Where did he learn the printing trade and perfect his skills, if you know ?
Shutter:
Vicki, do you know what size the article is? you can email it to me and I can resize it to fit on the thread.
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