Photo: U.S. Marshals Service
The U.S. Marshals Service is asking the public for help locating John Ruffo, a convicted felon who has been on the run from authorities since 1998. Ruffo was supposed to turn himself in to serve a 17-and-a-half year prison sentence for his role in a $350 million bank fraud scheme. Instead, he withdrew $600 from an ATM in Queens, New York, and was never seen again. Investigators found a rental car in his name parked in a long-term lot at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Ruffo was added to the agency's Top 15 Most Wanted list but has managed to evade capture for the past 23 years.
Officials said he may have turned up in 2016, sitting behind home plate at a Los Angeles Dodgers game. The Marshals Service received a tip from Ruffo's cousin, Carmine Pascale, that somebody resembling Ruffo was sitting in Section 1 Dugout Club, Row EE, Seat 10 during a game on August 5 against the Boston Red Sox.
"I'm watching, and right behind home plate, they did a close-up of the batter, and there's Johnny. And I said, "Holy Christ, there he is," Pascale told ABC News. "And I immediately called the Marshals. I froze the frame, kept it right in front of me."
Investigators tracked down the person who purchased the ticket but have not been able to confirm the identity of the man sitting in the seat. The agency released a photo from the game, showing the man wearing a blue shirt, and asked the public for help identifying him.
There is a $25,000 reward for any information that leads to Ruffo's arrest. Tips can be submitted online using USMS Tips or by calling the U.S. Marshals Service Communications Center at 1-800-336-0102.