Steven Jay Russell
{{Short description|Con-artist with multiple prison escapes}}
{{BLP sources|date=September 2013}}
{{ infobox person
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1957|12|31}}
|known_for = Multiple successful escapes from several prisons
|occupation = Con artist
|nationality = American
}}
Steven Jay Russell (born December 31, 1957) is an American con artist, known for escaping from prison multiple times.
I Love You Phillip Morris, a film about his life and crimes, was produced in 2009.
Life and crimes
File:PolunskyUnitWestLivingstonTX.jpg, where Russell was located]]
Russell was adopted in 1957 after his birth parents divorced{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/sep/06/steven-russell-elizabeth-day-jim-carrey |newspaper=The Guardian |first=Elizabeth |last=Day |title=I love you Phillip Morris: a conman's story |date=September 6, 2009}} by Georgia and David Russell, whose family owned a produce business.{{cite news |url=https://www.fwweekly.com/2011/03/16/to-hollywood-and-back/ |newspaper=Fort Worth Weekly |first=Steve |last=McVicker |title=To Hollywood and back | date=March 16, 2011}} At the age of 18, he began working for the family business, and he also volunteered as a reserve sheriff's deputy and played organ for his church. In 1976, he married Debbie Davis, daughter of the police chief's secretary, and their daughter, Stephanie, was born two years later.{{cite magazine |last=Hannaford |first=Alex |date=February 2010 |magazine=Esquire |pages=88–93 |url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/44574829/The-Great-Escapee |title=The Great Escapee |access-date=2022-11-13 |via=Scribd}} Russell and his wife divorced after he revealed to her that he was gay.
Russell began to support himself through a variety of scams including faking slip and fall accidents and selling counterfeit Rolex watches, leading him to be arrested for fraud. In 1995 he began a relationship with fellow inmate Phillip Morris.{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.ie/life/king-con-a-passion-for-escape/26569243.html |newspaper=Fort Worth Weekly |first=Elizabeth |last=Day |title=King Con: A passion for escape | date=September 26, 2009}}
On March 20, 1998, Russell posed as a millionaire from Virginia in an attempt to legitimize a $75,000 loan from NationsBank in Dallas; when bank officials became suspicious and alerted the police, Russell feigned a heart attack and was transported to the hospital. Russell was placed on security watch, but he impersonated an FBI agent and called the hospital on his mobile telephone to tell them he could be released.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=rwEhk56xNqMC&dat=19980410&printsec=frontpage The Lakekand Ledger], April 10, 1998, via google news, with a photo of S. Russell, page B5 (10 in the google reader).
U.S. Marshals later tracked Russell to Florida, where they arrested him on April 5, 1998, when he went to retrieve a fax. Russell was sentenced to a total of 144 years in prison (99 years for the escapes and 45 years for subsequent scams).
As of 2010, Russell was in the Allan B. Polunsky Unit"[https://offender.tdcj.texas.gov/OffenderSearch/offenderDetail.action;jsessionid=ba2083259255d1714a326fddd3de?sid=05138971 RUSSELL, STEVEN L] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117155259/https://offender.tdcj.texas.gov/OffenderSearch/offenderDetail.action;jsessionid=ba2083259255d1714a326fddd3de?sid=05138971 |date=November 17, 2020 }}". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on November 30, 2019. TDCJ ID: 00760259, SID: 05138971Stein, Joshua David. "[http://out.com/detail.asp?id=26508 Ewan McGregor: Filthy and Gorgeous]." ({{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807132616/http://www.out.com/detail.asp?id=26508|date=August 7, 2011}}) Out. Friday February 12, 2010. Retrieved on December 10, 2010. "[...] the two live lavishly until Russell gets caught and goes to prison for the rest of his life (Escape, Case No. 9,856-C). Russell -- Inmate No. 00760259 -- has a maximum sentence that would keep him imprisoned until July 12, 2140 -- 47,595 days after the film opens." on a 23-hour lockup, only having one free hour a day to shower and exercise. He was previously held in the Mark W. Michael Unit and the W.J. Estelle Unit.Day, Elizabeth. "[https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/sep/06/steven-russell-elizabeth-day-jim-carrey I love you Phillip Morris: a conman's story]." The Observer. Sunday September 6, 2009. Retrieved on December 10, 2010.{{Cite web|last=McVicker|first=Steve|date=1997-02-06|title=King Con|url=https://www.houstonpress.com/news/king-con-6571179|access-date=2021-07-09|website=Houston Press}} His maximum sentence date was March 13, 2113, and he became eligible for parole on December 15, 2020.
On February 7, 2023, Russell was granted parole. His release date was on July 11th, 2024.{{cite web |title=Parole Review Information |url=https://inmate.tdcj.texas.gov/InmateSearch/reviewDetail.action?sid=05138971&tdcj=00760259&fullName=RUSSELL%2CSTEVEN+L |website=Texas Department of Criminal Justice |access-date=9 February 2023}}
In media
A film about his life and crimes was produced in 2009, named I Love You Phillip Morris, starring Jim Carrey as Russell{{cite web |title=Jim Carrey Loves Phillip Morris |website=JustPressPlay.net |url=http://www.justpressplay.net/movies/movie-news/1481-jim-carrey-loves-phillip-morris.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120802194332/http://www.justpressplay.net/movies/movie-news/1481-jim-carrey-loves-phillip-morris.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 2, 2012}} and Ewan McGregor as his boyfriend Phillip Morris.{{cite web |title=Ewan McGregor Cast In I Love You Phillip Morris |author=Rodney |date=2007-12-18 |website=The Movie Blog |url=http://www.themovieblog.com/2007/12/ewan-mcgregor-cast-in-i-love-you-phillip-morris |access-date=2022-11-16}}
Since the movie went into production and Russell's story became more popular, several articles appeared in print and online uncovering lesser known details of his exploits. Esquire magazine interviewed both Russell and Morris for its feature, "The Great Escapee", while The Guardian published "I Love You, Phillip Morris: A Conman's Story".
In 2011, his crimes were featured on the television series I Almost Got Away with It, in the episode "Got A Boyfriend to Support". He was also the subject of "On The Run", a 2005 episode of The Discovery Channel series King of Cons.
See also
{{Portal|Texas|Biography}}
References
{{refs}}
External links
- {{ cite book |last=McVicker |first=Steve |title=I Love You Phillip Morris: A True Story of Life, Love, and Prison Breaks |date=June 25, 2003 |publisher=Miramax Books |isbn=0-7868-6903-8 }}
- {{ cite news | first = James | last = McWilliams | title = The Master Manipulator | url = http://www.texasobserver.org/article.php?aid=1394 | publisher = The Texas Observer | date = July 4, 2003 | access-date = 2006-09-19 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061002015218/http://www.texasobserver.org/article.php?aid=1394 | archive-date = October 2, 2006 }}
- {{cite news |last1=McVicker |first1=Steve |title=To Hollywood And Back |url=https://www.fwweekly.com/2011/03/16/to-hollywood-and-back/ |work=Fort Worth Weekly |date=16 March 2011}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Steven Jay}}
Category:20th-century American criminals
Category:20th-century American LGBTQ people
Category:21st-century American LGBTQ people
Category:American confidence tricksters
Category:American deputy sheriffs
Category:American police officers convicted of crimes
Category:Place of birth missing (living people)
Category:LGBTQ people from North Carolina
Category:People from Elizabeth City, North Carolina