Colton Harris Moore, famously known as the Barefoot Bandit, embarked on a crime spree during his teenage years that would impress the most notorious criminals. The most sensational of the Barefoot Bandit’s alleged crimes was stealing small airplanes, despite his lack of flying experience. Eventually, the law caught up with the Barefoot Bandit, and he went to jail for his crimes.
The Barefoot Bandit disappeared from public life after completing his sentence
The Barefoot Bandit secured release from prison via probation in July 2016 and found a job at his defense attorney’s law firm. Five months before the scheduled end of his probation period, he requested the judge handling his case to expunge the remainder of his probation.
He argued that he had reformed and the restrictions of his supervised release were preventing him from profiting from his fame. The Barefoot Bandit argued that he could make between $10,000 and $20,000 per speaking event due to his ‘notoriety’.
“I have learned from my past; I do not run from it, but instead try to embrace it for the better,” he wrote. “I hope to serve as a model for people who have hard lives and whom feel hopeless. I saw it every day when I was confined, and I have seen it in the world upon release.” It’s unclear whether his request was granted.
Nevertheless, the Barefoot Bandit didn’t return to prison, meaning he completed his probation. Despite an assertion to the judge that he wished to enter public speaking, the Barefoot Bandit disappeared from public life. It seems he no longer wishes to be associated with his nefarious past. He said on the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH that he hates the ‘Barefoot Bandit’ moniker.
“I don’t consider my past necessarily as a waste of time, but it led to consequences that took a tremendous amount of time which I never anticipated,” he said. “What the past 10 to 15 years has really ingrained in me is a keen appreciation and really obsession for not wasting time and moving forward as quickly as possible.”