Charles Stopford
Charles Stopford | |
---|---|
Born | Charles Albert Stopford III Orlando , Florida |
Nationality | American |
Other names |
|
Occupation | IT security consultant |
Known for | Living under an assumed identity for over twenty years |
Spouse |
Jody
(m. 1984; div. 1997) |
Children | 2 |
Parent(s) | Charles and Barbara Stopford |
Criminal charge | Passport fraud |
Penalty | 22 months in prison, reduced to 9 months on appeal |
Charles Albert Stopford III (born May 1962)
Early life
Charles Stopford, the eldest of nine children, was born in Orlando, Florida, to Charles and Barbara Stopford.[3] He is of English ancestry.[4] Family members described him as being fascinated with British culture and adept at mimicking an English accent.[5]
After graduating high school in 1980, Stopford enlisted in the
Stopford left the United States following a conviction for possessing explosives. He was initially sentenced to probation but was jailed for 60 days for a probation violation. He fled the country in 1983 after being released from jail.[6]
Christopher Buckingham
In 1983 Stopford assumed the identity of Christopher Edward Buckingham, an infant who died eight months after birth. Using information obtained from London's archive of births, deaths and marriages, Stopford was able to procure a National Insurance number, a National Health Card and a passport under Buckingham's name.[7]
As Buckingham, Stopford affected an upper-class British accent.
He met Jody, a 19 year old Canadian student, while in West Germany in 1984.[7] They married on December 7, 1984, at Watford Registry Office.[12] They had two children, Lindsey and Edward, before divorcing in 1997.[13]
Stopford lived in both England and Germany, where he rented an apartment in Hohentengen.[10] He was working as an information technology security consultant in Switzerland at the time of his arrest.[5]
Stopford is also known to have used the names Hans Peter Schmidt and Alexi Romanov.[1]
Arrest and identification
Whilst attempting to enter England from France in January 2005, Stopford was arrested when a passport check found that his personal information matched with that of a deceased infant.
Stopford was identified when his family recognized him from a photograph in a news story and contacted British authorities.[19] His identity was confirmed by a fingerprint check.[20] He was deported from the United Kingdom and returned to Florida in July 2006.[1] Stopford reunited with his family but claimed not to remember his past due to having suffered amnesia as a result of a car accident in 2002.[17]
In media
The Stopford case was the subject of the
References
- ^ a b c d e Falconer, Bruce (March 2009). "Escape from America". LOST Magazine. Archived from the original on 2023-09-01. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "Bogus British Earl Really from Florida". CBS News. 6 May 2006. Archived from the original on 2023-09-01.
- ^ Fries, Jacob H. (9 May 2006). "He left for England - and never came back". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on 2023-09-01. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
- ^ a b "US couple: mystery 'earl' is our son". The Guardian. 5 May 2006. Archived from the original on 2023-09-01. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ^ a b Jordan, Mary (6 May 2006). "British detain a nowhere man". NBC News. Archived from the original on 2023-09-01. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ a b ONeill, Sean; Thompson, Paul (6 May 2006). "Fake earl fled US after bid to bomb boss's car". The Times. Archived from the original on 2021-09-15. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ a b c Bashir, Martin; Wallace, Rob (7 July 2006). "Great American impostor tells all". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2023-09-04. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ Laville, Sandra (8 November 2005). "He lived as a bogus peer for 22 years. Now he's in jail. But who is he?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2023-09-04. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
- ^ Lewis, Paul (8 May 2006). "Bogus Earl is unmasked as American". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2023-09-04. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ a b c ONeill, Sean; Thompson, Paul (5 May 2006). "Riddle of the fake earl solved". The Times. Archived from the original on 2022-08-24. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ Bennetto, Jason (9 November 2005). "Man with no name is jailed for taking identity from baby". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2023-09-05. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- ^ "Town's bogus lord's identity revealed". Watford Observer. 11 May 2006. Archived from the original on 2023-09-05. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
- ^ ONeill, Sean (8 May 2006). "Fake earl to be deported after tests show real identity". The Times. Archived from the original on 2021-09-15. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "Bogus Royal a Yank". Sun Journal (Lewiston, Maine). 9 May 2006. Archived from the original on 2023-09-05. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "ID fraudster 'should reveal past'". BBC News. 8 November 2005. Archived from the original on 2023-09-05. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
- ISBN 978-1-118-82755-0.
- ^ a b Bashir, Martin; Wallace, Rob (10 July 2006). "Fake English lord's identity revealed". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2023-09-07. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- Kent Online. 8 May 2006. Archived from the originalon 2023-09-07. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- Washington Post. Archived from the originalon 2013-02-09.
- ^ Mariano, Willoughby (9 May 2006). "Fake earl to be deported after tests show real identity". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on 2023-06-18. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- ^ "Fosse Films". Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "Britain's weirdest tricksters in new TV series Bizarre Crime". The Mirror. 8 January 2012. Archived from the original on 2023-09-07. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- Cosmopolitan Magazine. pp. 111–114. Retrieved 2 October 2022.