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A former federal fugitive who spent two years on the run urges Brian Laundrie of Florida to surrender to authorities after the murder of his fiancee Gabby Petito.
“You just have to turn into a man – you have to face the music”, said Seth Ferrant, an ex-convict turned writer and producer. “And if you’ve done something to this girl, you have to pay the price. And if you haven’t done anything to this girl, you have to present it to the jury and trust your innocence.”
Ferranti was on the US Marshals 15 Most Wanted List from 1991 to 1993, after a 25-year prison term for non-violent drug trafficking at the height of the government’s war on drugs. So he knows what it takes to avoid arrest.
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“You have to have money, money, money,” Ferranti told Fox News Monday. “If you have money, as long as you have money, you can stay hidden.”
And that’s cash, because a fugitive can’t use credit cards. You also need self-discipline, and a fake ID is the next big thing, he said. And the support of a family friend helps too.
He recognized Laundrie’s skills as an outdoorsman, but said the Florida man might be in hiding in plain sight because “he looks like a pretty average dude.”
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“In a way, when you’re on the run it’s like you’re in your own little movie,” Ferranti said. “Everything is so intense.”
Ferranti’s case differs from Laundrie’s in several ways. He was wanted for selling LSD and weed to college students, and he escaped before the rise of the internet, social media, and widespread surveillance. Laundrie is wanted for suspected debit card fraud and is a person of interest in Petito’s death.
Former federal fugitive Seth Ferranti said Brian Laundrie should surrender and “face the music”.
(Seth Ferranti / Moab Police)
“There was probably not 75% of the scrutiny [back then] than there is now, “he said.” Everything is digital now. There are cameras everywhere. “
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And he didn’t have a supporting cast, like Laundrie’s parents, who may have given conflicting reports about their son’s fate to police after initially saying they last saw him. September 14 before their lawyer said a few weeks later that the date was in fact the day before. .
Ferranti said the most stressful part of his time as a fugitive was the start.
“The first six months, man, especially the first two weeks, I was super paranoid,” he said. “I was looking over my shoulder – it was like cloak and dagger type stuff, because I thought… the Feds… they knew everything.”
After that, he became more comfortable, even returned to drug trafficking. And he was less careful about covering his tracks, even though he used aliases and fake IDs.
Laundrie was last seen on September 13, his family’s lawyer said on Tuesday, and was charged with debit fraud on September 23.
Ferranti spent over 20 years in federal prison, earning a master’s degree while incarcerated. By his release he had already become an established writer and changed his life.
His latest project is Netflix’s real-life crime documentary “White Boy”, which explores alleged drug lord and FBI informant Richard Wershe Jr., also known as “White Boy Rick”.
Ferranti said when authorities finally caught him, it was after he resumed the drug trade, shipping marijuana from Dallas to St. Louis. Someone fired him, and the gig was over.
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But eventually he said he could drop his pseudonyms and the shadow of fear on his shoulder.
“It was kind of a relief when I got caught, even though I had to face those 25 years,” he said. “At least I could be myself again.
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