Long Time Fugitive Arrested for Identity Theft

United States Attorney Karen L. Loeffler, announced the arrest of Joseph Keenan May, 60, on identity theft charges.  May, of Eagle River and Houston, Alaska, has been wanted for capital sexual battery in Brandenton, Florida, since 1991.  He has been the subject of a federal warrant charging unlawful flight to avoid prosecution since 1993.  According to the indictment, May has been living under the identity of a stepbrother, Michael Camp, who died in his teens in the 1970s in Pennsylvania.  May is a former deputy sheriff in Manatee County, Florida.  The indictment charges two counts of unlawful use of a social security number, stemming from May’s use of Camp’s name and number to apply for an Alaska driver’s license in 2009 and unemployment benefits in 2013.  He is also charged with aggravated identity theft.  May faces up to 12 years in prison on the federal charges in Alaska.  He potentially faces the death penalty in Florida.

May was arrested by an FBI tactical team at a home in Eagle River in the early morning hours of Friday, June 20.  May will be arraigned before a federal judge in Anchorage at 2:30 p.m. on Friday.

Ms. Loeffler commends the efforts of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Anchorage Division for conducting the investigation that led to the Alaska indictment and arrest.  Thanks are also due to the FBI Tampa Division, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, the State’s Attorney’s Office in Brandenton, Florida, and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.