Stephen Craig Campbell, 76, lived under the stolen identity of Walter Lee Coffman, who died in 1975, for decades. Using Coffman’s Social Security number, he obtained driver’s licenses, passports, and over $100,000 in government benefits. Campbell vanished in 1983 after facing attempted murder charges for a bombing that severely injured his estranged wife’s boyfriend. His fraudulent activities began in 1984 and unraveled in 2019 when he attempted to renew his license, revealing Coffman had been deceased. Arrested in February 2023 in New Mexico, Campbell was found armed and has been deemed a flight risk, awaiting trial for multiple charges.
For many years, a man went by the name Walter Lee Coffman, utilizing his Social Security number, acquiring a driver’s license and passports, buying real estate, and even cashing in over $100,000 in government retirement benefits, according to Justice Department officials.
In truth, he was masquerading as another individual who had been deceased for nearly 50 years, as stated by authorities, after evading capture while facing attempted murder charges in Wyoming.
The manhunt concluded last month when multiple law enforcement agencies apprehended Stephen Craig Campbell at his property in Weed, N.M. He was charged with passport misuse, officials announced on Wednesday.
The U.S. attorney’s office in New Mexico alleges that Mr. Campbell, 76, adopted the identity of Mr. Coffman, a University of Arkansas alumnus who passed away in 1975 at the age of 22.
Records from the university indicate that Mr. Campbell and Mr. Coffman were contemporaneous students who “pursued engineering degrees, implying a probable link between the two,” according to the Justice Department.
In interviews with local media in Arkansas, Mr. Coffman’s family expressed their shock upon discovering that his identity had been stolen. Mr. Coffman’s aunt, Sharon Ennis, told 40/29 News that Mr. Campbell “defiled” her nephew’s “reputation.” She also recounted that Mr. Coffman tragically died in a car accident while returning home after visiting his fiancée.
David Benatar, an attorney for Mr. Campbell, emphasized that his client is “presumed innocent, and we should allow the legal process to unfold before making any assumptions.”
Mr. Campbell, who earned a degree in electrical engineering, seemingly disappeared in 1983 when he failed to appear for a court hearing regarding first-degree attempted murder charges linked to a 1982 bombing in Wyoming, according to court documents.
In 1982, he was alleged to have planted an explosive device concealed in a toolbox at the entrance of his estranged wife’s boyfriend’s residence in Wyoming. When she opened the toolbox, it detonated, resulting in her losing a finger, as documented in court files. The blast also ignited a fire in the condominium and a nearby unit.
After being arrested by the Rock Springs Police Department in Wyoming, Mr. Campbell was released on bail. A warrant was subsequently issued for his arrest when he failed to attend his court date.
In 1984, Mr. Campbell first sought a passport using Mr. Coffman’s name, “marking the beginning of a prolonged series of fraudulent activities that lasted decades,” as per court records. He later secured a replacement Social Security card in Mr. Coffman’s name in 1995 by using an Oklahoma driver’s license also registered in Mr. Coffman’s name.
Upon relocating to Weed, N.M., in 2003, Mr. Campbell purchased property using Mr. Coffman’s identity, according to authorities.
Mr. Campbell’s charade began to unravel in September 2019 when he renewed his driver’s license in New Mexico, as reported by federal prosecutors.
At that time, Mr. Campbell provided a previously issued license displaying the name “Walter L. Coffman,” Mr. Coffman’s birth date, and an address in Weed, N.M., along with a Social Security card and a U.S. passport, both under Mr. Coffman’s name, according to court documents.
Investigations related to the license application revealed that Walter Lee Coffman passed away in 1975.
After an inquiry was conducted, authorities secured warrants to arrest Mr. Campbell and to search a 44-acre property in New Mexico registered under Mr. Coffman’s name.
When law enforcement arrived to execute the warrants on February 19, Mr. Campbell “met law enforcement armed with a scoped rifle, positioning himself in a high, partially concealed location,” as stated by prosecutors.
Officers deployed stun grenades and attempted to engage with Mr. Campbell, who “remained concealed but eventually emerged from the wooded area after repeated commands” and was subsequently detained, authorities reported.
Authorities later discovered that Mr. Campbell’s rifle was “loaded and ready for use.” According to court documents, “the firearm was particularly perilous due to the high-powered ammunition capable of piercing standard body armor.”
Prosecutors noted that 57 firearms and substantial amounts of ammunition were recovered from the property.
Mr. Campbell, currently held at the Doña Ana County Detention Center in Las Cruces, N.M., was classified as a flight risk by the U.S. District Court in New Mexico, according to court records. He will remain in custody until his trial.
Following his arrest, the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office in Green River, Wyo., requested that a detainer be placed on Mr. Campbell related to the 1982 attempted murder case.
Jack Begg contributed research.