>> "As she went through Caldwell’s things, she found a little black notebook of Caldwell’s in the backseat. It contained all of his contacts and even some of his passwords. On July 26, Trent used the information from the book to access his Facebook account, which had become, in recent years, a living record of the man that Caldwell longed to be. Trent decided to start editing it, to make it reflect, more clearly, the man who he truly was. She took down the profile picture of him as a bearded mountain man and replaced it with a shot of him in an orange prison jumpsuit."<p>Guessing few will make it to the end of the article, but was shocked to read the above, since the victim literally provided statements and evidence of them committing a federal offense.
I think I've come across this type of person before, at least the same language they use. They speak of incredible adventure or success, followed by incredible lows. At the moment, they only need a few bucks ... maybe I can be apart of their life story.<p>Kinda sounds like some of you! ~snicker
Gee, I guess I'm a bit of a sucker. I find myself pitying this man. He seems to have had no opportunity to bond with either a mother or a father.<p>> the true motivation of the swindler is never money. “They want to have power over other people,” she says. “What is more controlling than the most intimate thing of all?”<p>Indeed, I suppose if I had grown up like he had I'd feel very much powerless.<p>True -- Caldwell is bad news and he is really doing harm to his victims, but I think I understand some of what motivates him.
>> Borton says she knew something was off about Caldwell the moment she let him stay with her.
>> “What was missing?” she says. “The heart.”<p>Two things stand out about this article — one is the, um, diversity of human behavior. I wonder if I have a Jeff Cantwell in my life and if I’d be able to tell. I consider myself both analytical and introspective but also easy to garner sympathy from. This woman Borton was apparently able to tell, though it could also be revisionist memory.<p>>> I knew he was starting to see me as another mark, but I still felt guilty about saying no. I saw how easy it was to be charmed by him.<p>Yup, sounds like how I would feel.<p>Secondly, the article didn’t really go into detail, but it seemed like he was in and out of prison no problem, despite violating parole. Why did he keep qualifying for parole then? That seemed odd to me.
Summary: Profile of a moderately successful con-man, who preys on the community of outdoor enthusiasts. He’s been caught, and jailed, multiple times.<p>If you enjoy reading about con-men, I suggest reading about John D Rockefeller’s father: <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Rockefeller_Sr" rel="nofollow">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Rockefeller_Sr</a>.
This article really gives me a feel for what it's like to live on the very bottom rung of society: the petty ex-con. It's lower than living as an illegal immigrant or someone on disability payments. The crimes this guy commits are so petty that the criminal justice system isn't even that interested in him.
There's a guy who goes by "Ian" and he's been riding his bicycle up and down the west coast for years, pulling small-time grifts. I met him while touring between Portland and SF in the summer of 2010 and his story seemed fishy, then was surprised to see him pop up on a Portland bike blog:<p><a href="https://bikeportland.org/2012/05/30/oregonians-come-to-aid-of-stranded-bike-tourist-72522" rel="nofollow">https://bikeportland.org/2012/05/30/oregonians-come-to-aid-o...</a><p>He told us he was a former aircraft mechanic for Quantas and had been given lifetime unlimited airfare, and was spending his retirement touring every continent. Had a story about every topic we brought up, and I think his angle was at least partly about impressing us with his adventures. He didn't ask for money directly but it was implied that he needed some. Another group of cyclists showed up before the conversation got too awkward and we took the opportunity to turn in for the night and let him work his magic on the newcomers instead.