James Hogue
Encyclopedia
James Arthur Hogue is a US
impostor
who most famously entered Princeton University
by posing
as a self-taught orphan
.
and spent his youth there. He attended Washington High School
where he set the school records in track for the 1 mile (4:18.4) and 2 mile (9:20.4) in 1977; records that still stand to this day. He has refused to talk about much of his childhood.
high school as Jay Mitchell Huntsman, a 16-year-old orphan
from Nevada
. He had adopted the identity of a dead infant. A suspicious local reporter exposed him.
He next enrolled at Princeton University
in 1988 using the alias Alexi Indris-Santana, a self-taught orphan from Utah
; Hogue claimed in his application materials that he had slept outside in the Grand Canyon
, raising sheep and reading philosophers. He deferred admission for one year because he had been convicted of the theft
of bicycle frames in Utah, and violated his parole
to enter class. For the next two years he lived as Santana, he was a member of the track team and was admitted into the Ivy Club.
His real identity was exposed when Renee Pacheco, a student from Palo Alto High School
, recognized him. He was arrested in 1991 for defrauding
the university for $30,000 in financial aid and sentenced to three years in jail, with 5 years probation
and 100 hours of community service
.
Hogue next made headlines on May 16, 1993, through his association with Harvard University
. Having lied about his identity again, he was able to take a job as a security guard in one of Harvard's on-campus museums.
A few months into his tenure, museum officials noticed that several gemstones on exhibit had been replaced with inexpensive fakes. Somerville police seized Hogue in his home and charged him with grand larceny in the amount of $50,000.
Hogue violated the conditions of his parole by returning to Princeton and hanging around the campus using the name Jim MacAuthor; he had not officially enrolled, but had attended social functions and eaten in the cafeteria. When a graduate student recognized him, he was arrested on February 19, 1996 and was given to the custody of Princeton Borough Police who later released him on his own recognizance. He was later incarcerated in the Mercer County Correctional Center and was tried for defiant trespass.
Hogue was released from prison 1997 and vanished from the public eye. In 1999, Jesse Moss, a director making a documentary film about Hogue, tracked him down in Aspen, Colorado and secured his cooperation in making the film. The completed documentary, entitled Con Man, was released in 2003.
In January 2005 police with a warrant to search Hogue's home in San Miguel County
, Colorado, found 7,000 stolen items, worth over $100,000, stolen from nearby homes where Hogue had worked as a remodeller and repairman. The stolen goods "packed his house and a small secret compartment he'd built." He was apprehended in Tucson, Arizona
on February 4, 2006 by United States Marshal Richard J. Tracy Jr. and deputies from the Pima County, Arizona
Sheriff's department while Hogue was sitting in a Barnes & Noble
cafe surfing the internet.
On March 12, 2007 Hogue pled guilty to theft, in return for limiting his sentence and dropping additional charges.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
impostor
Impostor
An impostor or imposter is a person who pretends to be somebody else, often to try to gain financial or social advantages through social engineering, but just as often for purposes of espionage or law enforcement....
who most famously entered Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
by posing
Confidence trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...
as a self-taught orphan
Orphan
An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...
.
Early life
Hogue was born in Kansas City, KansasKansas City, Kansas
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
and spent his youth there. He attended Washington High School
Washington High School
Washington High School may refer to:*George Washington High School , in San Francisco, California*Washington High School , in Phoenix, Arizona*Washington High School in Fremont, California...
where he set the school records in track for the 1 mile (4:18.4) and 2 mile (9:20.4) in 1977; records that still stand to this day. He has refused to talk about much of his childhood.
Starting his criminal career
In 1986, Hogue enrolled in a Palo Alto, CaliforniaPalo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
high school as Jay Mitchell Huntsman, a 16-year-old orphan
Orphan
An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...
from Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. He had adopted the identity of a dead infant. A suspicious local reporter exposed him.
He next enrolled at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in 1988 using the alias Alexi Indris-Santana, a self-taught orphan from Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
; Hogue claimed in his application materials that he had slept outside in the Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, the 15th national park in the United States...
, raising sheep and reading philosophers. He deferred admission for one year because he had been convicted of the theft
Theft
In common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...
of bicycle frames in Utah, and violated his parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
to enter class. For the next two years he lived as Santana, he was a member of the track team and was admitted into the Ivy Club.
His real identity was exposed when Renee Pacheco, a student from Palo Alto High School
Palo Alto High School
Palo Alto Senior High School, known locally as "Paly," was founded in 1898 and is one of the oldest high schools in the region. Located in Palo Alto, California, United States, Paly is nestled in the heart of Silicon Valley, and is adjacent to Stanford University. Paly is known for its academically...
, recognized him. He was arrested in 1991 for defrauding
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
the university for $30,000 in financial aid and sentenced to three years in jail, with 5 years probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
and 100 hours of community service
Community service
Community service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....
.
Hogue next made headlines on May 16, 1993, through his association with Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. Having lied about his identity again, he was able to take a job as a security guard in one of Harvard's on-campus museums.
A few months into his tenure, museum officials noticed that several gemstones on exhibit had been replaced with inexpensive fakes. Somerville police seized Hogue in his home and charged him with grand larceny in the amount of $50,000.
Hogue violated the conditions of his parole by returning to Princeton and hanging around the campus using the name Jim MacAuthor; he had not officially enrolled, but had attended social functions and eaten in the cafeteria. When a graduate student recognized him, he was arrested on February 19, 1996 and was given to the custody of Princeton Borough Police who later released him on his own recognizance. He was later incarcerated in the Mercer County Correctional Center and was tried for defiant trespass.
Hogue was released from prison 1997 and vanished from the public eye. In 1999, Jesse Moss, a director making a documentary film about Hogue, tracked him down in Aspen, Colorado and secured his cooperation in making the film. The completed documentary, entitled Con Man, was released in 2003.
In January 2005 police with a warrant to search Hogue's home in San Miguel County
San Miguel County, Colorado
San Miguel County is one of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county is named for the San Miguel River. The county population was 6,594 at U.S. Census 2000...
, Colorado, found 7,000 stolen items, worth over $100,000, stolen from nearby homes where Hogue had worked as a remodeller and repairman. The stolen goods "packed his house and a small secret compartment he'd built." He was apprehended in Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
on February 4, 2006 by United States Marshal Richard J. Tracy Jr. and deputies from the Pima County, Arizona
Pima County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*74.3% White*3.5% Black*3.3% Native American*2.6% Asian*0.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.7% Two or more races*12.4% Other races*34.6% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
Sheriff's department while Hogue was sitting in a Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest book retailer in the United States, operating mainly through its Barnes & Noble Booksellers chain of bookstores headquartered at 122 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District in Manhattan in New York City. Barnes & Noble also operated the chain of small B. Dalton...
cafe surfing the internet.
On March 12, 2007 Hogue pled guilty to theft, in return for limiting his sentence and dropping additional charges.
Literature
- Samuels, David The Runner A True Account of the Amazing Lies and Fantastical Adventures of the Ivy League Impostor James Hogue.
External links
- Con Man home page