# Escaped prisoner with lots of cash but nothing else **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 18, 2019, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-prisoner-with-lots-of-cash-but-nothing-else/835700 "2019-06-18T18:15:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-prisoner-with-lots-of-cash-but-nothing-else/835700/21 "2019-06-19T02:24:20Z")
How was the several million acquired? That’s going to affect the plan. If it is legal money, then a bunch of it could go to more lawyers to get you a new trial or a pardon (if the bribe’s big enough.) If it is ill-gotten booty, then you have to drop off the radar. Many of the above posters have addressed some of the things that may be done. The question then becomes whether a big city offers more anonymity than rural Wyoming, for instance. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-prisoner-with-lots-of-cash-but-nothing-else/835700/22 "2019-06-19T04:38:34Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > I assume the person has successfully ditched his prison attire (those donation boxes where people leave clothes are handy for this) Bad idea. The clothing in a donation box is going to be seen and examined by somebody. And they’re likely to notice it’s a prison uniform, which means they’ll probably contact the police. This gives the police a lead on where you’re moving. You’re better off throwing the prison uniform out in the garbage. Preferably a dumpster. You want to get rid of it some place where it’s unlikely anyone will see it. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-prisoner-with-lots-of-cash-but-nothing-else/835700/23 "2019-06-19T04:39:10Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > The question then becomes whether a big city offers more anonymity than rural Wyoming, for instance. Tough call, the busybody factor in rural areas might be problematic. ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-prisoner-with-lots-of-cash-but-nothing-else/835700/24 "2019-06-19T05:21:47Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > You can’t rent an apartment, buy a house or sign up for utilities without an ID. Sure you can. Now, you can’t rent an apartment from one of the big commercial property management companies, but there are plenty of landlords who aren’t so picky. (What, you think all of the illegal aliens in the US are living in their cars?) Cash can be a powerful motivator not to ask too many questions. Similarly, buying a house usually involves a bank that has regulatory requirements, but buying a house for cash can avoid the bank and the title company and other long-noses. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-prisoner-with-lots-of-cash-but-nothing-else/835700/25 "2019-06-19T05:32:25Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Bad idea. The clothing in a donation box is going to be seen and examined by somebody. And they’re likely to notice it’s a prison uniform, which means they’ll probably contact the police. This gives the police a lead on where you’re moving. > > You’re better off throwing the prison uniform out in the garbage. Preferably a dumpster. You want to get rid of it some place where it’s unlikely anyone will see it. Well, presumably the garbage is still handled by people at the garbage-processing plant, although they wouldn’t know which dumpster it came from. Maybe buy a pair of scissors and spend an hour just methodically snipping that orange jumpsuit into tiny ribbons and shreds. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-prisoner-with-lots-of-cash-but-nothing-else/835700/26 "2019-06-19T06:51:53Z")
in a big city it’s not hard to get fake numbers … hell a few years ago they found a guy that was wanted for 20 years that owned a couple of subways about 40 miles from la … ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-prisoner-with-lots-of-cash-but-nothing-else/835700/27 "2019-06-19T11:15:10Z")
Gee there’s lotsa good advice in this thread. I just hope I’ll never need to use it… 🙂 I have absolutely no experience , so I can’t add any info here. But it occurs to me that this scenario isn’t so unusual. (well, except for the bit about having millions in cash on hand.) Aren’t there some 10 million undocumented people in America right now? They are living essentially undercover, just like the scenario in the OP…and most of them seem to be doing pretty well. Why couldn’t the OP’s escaped convict just join them? All he needs is a change of clothes.(Plus, he already has a huge advantage by having plenty of money.) By the way: Tom Wolfe’s novel _A Man in Full_ is based on a scenario sort of like this…an innocent man escapes from jail, and survives on the lam. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-prisoner-with-lots-of-cash-but-nothing-else/835700/28 "2019-06-19T12:01:15Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Is he adverse to committing further crimes in the process of going on with his life? The word you want is [averse](https://www.google.com/search?q=definition%20averse&cad=h), not [adverse](https://www.google.com/search?q=definition%20adverse&cad=h). ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-prisoner-with-lots-of-cash-but-nothing-else/835700/29 "2019-06-19T12:50:35Z")
Thomas Perry wrote the Jane Whitefield novels, in which the main character helped people set up alternative personalities/lives. I always found the “how-to” portions interesting. Unfortunately, the endings were always formulaic. I think he had a reason for believeing mid-sized cities were more anonymous than either big cities or small. Also, they all involved readily obtainable alternative IDs. I believe the sort of - finding dead baby’s birth certificate – in the less tech advances 1990s. Instead of getting a car, I wonder if it might be better to use public transportation. How does the risk of security in bus stations and in vehicles outweigh the risk of having ID that will allow you to buy/register a car and withstand a traffic stop? How easy is it to obtain health care without providing ID? I know you do not need insurance, but I’d imagine most walk0-in clinics require SOME form of ID. And you’d better hope you don’t need some maintenance prescription. The “age” of the cash is a potential issue, tho I don’t believe the US has ever required that old currency be turned in or declared it no longer legal tender. There are tons of motels that you can rent by the week/month. Not sure whether cops keep any tabs of longterm residents of such places. And there is always the private renter who will look the other way for cash paid on time. Of course, you always run the risk of your landlord being a potential weak link - should he find any reason to mention this tenant who has no ID and pays everything in cash… I suspect the lower socioeconomic lifestyle you maintain, the better your chances of anonymity. Finally - how does the math work out? And where do you stash the cash? Banks are likely out. So where do you keep it? In a rental unit somewhere? You’ll have to get back to it regularly to replenish your cash. How many millions are we talking about, and what is your life expectancy? Say you are 30, and expect to live 50 more years until you are 80. If you have $5 mill stashed, that will allow you to spend $100k/year. Won’t be a jet-setter, but should be able to live comfortably. But if you only have $1 mill, that is only $20k/yr - not counting for inflation… ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-prisoner-with-lots-of-cash-but-nothing-else/835700/30 "2019-06-19T13:35:13Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Well, presumably the garbage is still handled by people at the garbage-processing plant, although they wouldn’t know which dumpster it came from. People handling garbage aren’t going to be picking up each individual item of garbage and inspecting it the way that people going through a donation box will be. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-prisoner-with-lots-of-cash-but-nothing-else/835700/31 "2019-06-19T13:39:25Z")
If you offer someone $200 a week to rent a room in their house with no questions asked, they’ll go for it. Or $2,000 a month for an illegal apartment. ---
**Author:** ![Sinaptics](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Sinaptics](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinaptics)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-prisoner-with-lots-of-cash-but-nothing-else/835700/32 "2019-06-19T13:44:13Z")
I hear Zihuatanejo’s nice this time of the year. What about running for a foreign country? Would you have more luck in Mexico or Canada? Somewhere else? ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-prisoner-with-lots-of-cash-but-nothing-else/835700/33 "2019-06-19T13:44:58Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > Another option, easier but risky, is to buy the identity of someone homeless - the person is available to get you all the back up information you’ll need, you move out of state and get new ID issued there with your face (even a passport), and odds are they’ll pass away after a few years on the street. Good plan, except for the last bit. If getting discovered is a potential issue, it would be unwise to count on Father Time to wrap up loose ends. Similarly, with the scenario involving the needy roommate–you’ll want to nurture a semi-abusive relationship to get that Stockholm Syndrome support. If you go being nice and building up your roomie’s self-esteem their fog may clear and then you’re at risk when they decide to clean up their life. Best bet is to get in with someone old, alone, and feeble. Be super nice, get them used to introducing you as a grandchild, and get to work on forging a birth certificate–maybe a long form if you intend to run for POTUS one day. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-prisoner-with-lots-of-cash-but-nothing-else/835700/34 "2019-06-19T13:58:03Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Bad idea. The clothing in a donation box is going to be seen and examined by somebody. And they’re likely to notice it’s a prison uniform, which means they’ll probably contact the police. This gives the police a lead on where you’re moving. On the other hand, if you’ve obtained transportation (even as a one-time thing) to put you far away from the donation box before the next pickup, it can be a useful misdirection tactic. ---
**Author:** ![Isosleepy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/isosleepy/32/479_2.png) [@Isosleepy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isosleepy)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-prisoner-with-lots-of-cash-but-nothing-else/835700/35 "2019-06-19T14:46:05Z")
Id is easier than ever: laptop, good printer and a laminator and you can be whom you want. But id that will hold up to anything other than a cursory check is much harder: even just a credit check from a landlord will trip you, and if pulled over, your fake id will generate some excitement. ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-prisoner-with-lots-of-cash-but-nothing-else/835700/36 "2019-06-19T16:14:56Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Bad idea. The clothing in a donation box is going to be seen and examined by somebody. And they’re likely to notice it’s a prison uniform, which means they’ll probably contact the police. This gives the police a lead on where you’re moving. Depends. Not every prison uniform is an orange jumpsuit anymore. Here in Kansas, e.g., the average prisoner wears blue jeans and a light-blue or grey T-shirt; the only thing that marks it as “prison” is the name tape bearing the inmate number. If that can be removed or covered up, then it’s not really obvious that the remainder is a prison uniform. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-prisoner-with-lots-of-cash-but-nothing-else/835700/37 "2019-06-19T17:52:14Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > On the other hand, if you’ve obtained transportation (even as a one-time thing) to put you far away from the donation box before the next pickup, it can be a useful misdirection tactic. It’s still a clue. It says you were at the location of that donation box in the time period between when it was emptied. That gives the police a place to focus their investigation on. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-prisoner-with-lots-of-cash-but-nothing-else/835700/38 "2019-06-19T17:55:23Z")
> [@slash2k](#): > > Depends. Not every prison uniform is an orange jumpsuit anymore. Here in Kansas, e.g., the average prisoner wears blue jeans and a light-blue or grey T-shirt; the only thing that marks it as “prison” is the name tape bearing the inmate number. If that can be removed or covered up, then it’s not really obvious that the remainder is a prison uniform. I’m going to assume that if the escapee feels he needs to get rid of what he’s wearing and buy a change of clothing, he must be wearing something that’s identifiable as a prison uniform. ---
**Author:** ![Helmut\_Doork](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e8c25b/32.png) [@Helmut\_Doork](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helmut_Doork)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-prisoner-with-lots-of-cash-but-nothing-else/835700/39 "2019-06-19T17:55:48Z")
> [@sitchensis](#): > > They would have a hard time living like a millionaire but every step down from that would be easier and easier. They could live like a homeless person with a few dollars for forever. They would do pretty well living the flophouse life with a few things and an off the books, cash only, apartment or trailer. They would probably need to cultivate a relationship to move on up after that. Getting fake papers is easy if the worst case for being caught is deportation. Getting fake papers that you would rely on to stay out of prison is not something I would trust. Robert Durst did pretty much this for a long while before recapture, not a prison escapee but as a fugitive. ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2019, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-prisoner-with-lots-of-cash-but-nothing-else/835700/40 "2019-06-19T18:10:13Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’m going to assume that if the escapee feels he needs to get rid of what he’s wearing and buy a change of clothing, he must be wearing something that’s identifiable as a prison uniform. Identifiable in what context? You don’t want to be wearing blue jeans and a light blue T-shirt in the vicinity of a Kansas prison during a manhunt, but those same items fished out of the bin weeks later and hauled miles away to a sorting center might attract no curiosity at all. (Yes, I know I’m being overly pedantic.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-prisoner-with-lots-of-cash-but-nothing-else/835700.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/escaped-prisoner-with-lots-of-cash-but-nothing-else/835700.md?page=3)