31 Years Later: Fugitive Faces Same Charges, Same Judge

CNN in Miami has reported that Mark Stevens Phillips, a criminally charged fugitive since 1979, was located and arrested in a West Palm Beach, Florida senior living community by the U.S. Marshal's "Cold Case Fugitive Squad."

The lead deputy marshal in the arrest woke Phillips from his sleep to say, "The judge wants to see you Mark."  To which he allegedly replied, "The judge wants to see me from 30 years ago?"

Phillips fled his criminal trial on drug and racketeering charges, eluded police in several different countries and has been on the run for 31 years. 

After appearing before a federal magistrate, Phillips is scheduled "in the near future" to also appear before U.S. District Judge James Lawrence King.  King is the same judge that Phillips "walked out on during his criminal trial" per the U.S. Marshals.

The charges lodged against Phillips from his May 2, 1979 arrest include: participating in racketeering activity, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, unlawful use of a communication facility and engaging in a criminal enterprise.

Phillips and 13 others were indicted and charged with violating the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) statutes - They were importing "multi-ton quantities of marijuana and cocaine" into the United States from October 1974 to April 1978.

Per the Marshals, Phillips bought vessels, in his position as the corporate director for Striker Aluminum Yachts in Fort Lauderdale, only "so the interior of the boats could be restructured to afford maximum cargo area for the transportation of the loads of marijuana to be received from mother ships on the high seas."

In March of 1977, after showing a co-conspirator two vessels he had just used to import 20 tons of marijuana into the U.S., Marshals allege that Phillips went to Miami to collect "a suitcase filed with money" to "purchase another yacht for $223,000" to use for the same purpose.

In the scheme the imported marijuana was distributed for $250 a pound to "the enterprise's wholesale customers."

After posting a $25,000 bond on July 5, 1979, Phillips was released from jail.  His trial, and that of his co-defendants, began on September 17, 1979.

Marshals reported that "For approximately a month and a half, Phillips took part in his trial, but on November 5, 1979, Phillips got cold feet and failed to show up that day at the federal courthouse in Miami."

King issued a bench warrant for Phillips' arrest and the trial continued without him.  He was convicted, in absentia, of seven counts of participating in a racketeering activity and possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

In his 31 years on the lamb Phillips lived and married in Santiago, Chile, under the name Marcus Steffan.  He began a commercial fishing company that paid him $125,000 annually while residing there. 

He then moved back and forth between Chile and Germany, making several trips to New York as well.  When he finally decided to return to the U.S. he resumed using his real name.

That was when the U.S. Marshals located him at the West Palm Beach senior living apartment complex.  They noted that "There were no clothes in the drawers in the apartment. All his belongings were contained in one travel bag."

Barry Golden, a U.S. Marshal Senior Inspector, said that he wasn't sure how much prison time Phillips might now be facing.

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