View source for FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives

{{short description|American most wanted list}}
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{{Use American English|date=March 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2020}}
[[File:Leslie Ibsen Rogge 1973 from Nish Publishing Company.jpg|thumb|alt=A color photograph of a man with a moustache wearing tinted glasses, a white undershirt, and a yellow overshirt in front of a white wall|On May 19, 1996, [[Leslie Isben Rogge]] (pictured here in 1973) became the first person on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list to be apprehended due to the FBI's then-new home page on the [[internet]].]]
The '''FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives''' is a [[most wanted list]] maintained by the [[United States]]'s [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI). The list arose from a conversation held in late 1949 between [[J. Edgar Hoover]], [[Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation|Director of the FBI]], and [[William Kinsey Hutchinson]],<ref name="faq">{{cite web|url=https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten/ten-most-wanted-fugitives-faq|title=Facts on the Program|publisher=FBI Director|access-date=13 April 2022}}</ref> [[International News Service]] (the predecessor of the [[United Press International]]) editor-in-chief, who were discussing ways to promote capture of the FBI's "toughest guys". This discussion turned into a published article, which received so much positive publicity that on March 14, 1950, the FBI officially announced the list to increase law enforcement's ability to capture dangerous [[fugitive]]s.<ref name="History">{{cite web|url=http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-fbi-debuts-10-most-wanted|title=This Day in History 1950: The FBI debuts 10 Most Wanted |publisher=History.com |access-date=June 20, 2008}}</ref> The first person added to the list was Thomas J. Holden, a robber and member of the [[Holden–Keating Gang]] on the day of the list's inception.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten/topten-history/hires_images/FBI-001-ThomasJamesHolden.jpg/view|title=1. Thomas James Holden}}</ref><ref name="faq" />

Individuals are generally only removed from the list if they are captured, dead, or if the charges against them are dropped; they are then replaced by a new entry selected by the FBI. In eleven cases, the FBI removed individuals from the list after deciding that they were no longer a "particularly dangerous menace to society". [[Boricua Popular Army|Machetero]] member [[Víctor Manuel Gerena]], added to the list in 1984, was on the list for 32 years, which was longer than anyone else.<ref name="faq"/> [[FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives by year, 1969#Billie Austin Bryant|Billie Austin Bryant]] spent the shortest amount of time on the list, being listed for two hours in 1969.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/community/chat/2001-03-21-fbi.htm |title=Ask the FBI.: The Ten Most Wanted list |work=USA Today |date=March 21, 2001|access-date=September 6, 2020}}</ref> The oldest person to be added to the list was [[Eugene Palmer (criminal)|Eugene Palmer]] on May 29, 2019, at 80 years old. On rare occasions, the FBI will add a "Number Eleven" if that individual is extremely dangerous but the Bureau does not feel any of the current ten should be removed.<ref>{{cite book|last= Douglas|first= John|author2= Mark Olshaker|title= The Anatomy of Motive: The FBI's Legendary Mindhunter Explores the Key to Understanding and Catching Violent Criminals|publisher= Mindhunters, Inc.|date= July 1999|isbn= 0-671-02393-4|url-access= registration|url= https://archive.org/details/anatomyofmotive00doug}}</ref> Despite occasional references in the media, the FBI does not rank their list; no suspect is considered "#1 on the FBI's Most Wanted List" or "The Most Wanted".<ref name="faq"/>

The list is commonly posted in public places such as [[post office]]s. Some people on the list have turned themselves in.{{refn|Examples being [[Heather Tallchief]] in 2005<ref>{{Cite web |title=One of FBI's Most Wanted fugitives turns herself in |url=https://www.wistv.com/story/3855196/one-of-fbis-most-wanted-fugitives-turns-herself-in |access-date=2022-03-09 |language=en|date=September 19, 2005|website=wistv.com}}</ref> and [[Robert Van Wisse]] in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marfin |first=Catherine |title=Former UT student, FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive turns himself in after three decades on the run |url=https://thedailytexan.com/2017/01/31/former-ut-student-fbi-ten-most-wanted-fugitive-turns-himself-in-after-three-decades-on/ |access-date=2022-03-09 |website=The Daily Texan}}</ref>}} On May 18, 1996, after surrendering at the U.S. embassy in Guatemala City, [[Leslie Isben Rogge]] became the first person on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list to be apprehended due to the FBI's then-new home page on the internet.<ref>{{cite news|title=FBI Web Site Helps Snag a Fugitive |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1996/05/20/fbi-web-site-helps-snag-a-fugitive/4a65366c-dd54-42e4-a3b2-caaa8b44afe7/ |newspaper=The Washington Post|url-access=limited|access-date=September 6, 2020|date=May 20, 1996|page=D8|agency=Reuters|id={{ProQuest| <!-- Insert ProQuest data here -->}}}}</ref> The FBI maintains other lists of individuals, including the [[FBI Most Wanted Terrorists]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/wanted_terrorists |title=FBI Most Wanted Terrorists |publisher=Federal Bureau of Investigation |access-date=December 28, 2016}}</ref> along with crime alerts, missing persons, and other fugitive lists.

On June 17, 2013, the list reached a cumulative total of 500 fugitives having been listed.<ref>{{cite web|title=Alleged rapist, killer added to FBI's 'Most Wanted' list|url=http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/17/19004556-alleged-rapist-killer-added-to-fbis-most-wanted-list|work=NBC News|access-date=June 18, 2013}}</ref> As of July 1, 2025, 537 fugitives had been listed, twelve of them women, and 498 of them were captured or located (93%), 163 (31%) of them due to public assistance.<ref name="faq" /><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.fbi.gov/audio-repository/wanted-podcast-top-ten-list-69th-anniversary-031419.mp3/ |title=Wanted by the FBI: Another Milestone for the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List|access-date=March 17, 2019 |date=March 14, 2019 |publisher=Federal Bureau of Investigation}}</ref>

==New additions==
The [[FBI Criminal Investigative Division|Criminal Investigative Division]] (CID) at [[J. Edgar Hoover Building|FBI Headquarters]] calls upon all 56 Field Offices to submit candidates for the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted Fugitives" list.<ref name="FAQ">{{Cite web|title=Ten Most Wanted Fugitives Program |url=https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten/ten-most-wanted-fugitives-faq |publisher=FBI |access-date=February 17, 2013}}</ref> The nominees received are reviewed by special agents in the CID and the Office of Public Affairs.<ref name="FAQ"/> The selection of the proposed candidates is forwarded to the assistant director of the CID for their approval and then to the FBI's Director for final approval.<ref name="FAQ"/> This process takes some time, which is why [[Whitey Bulger|James Joseph "Whitey" Bulger Jr.]], who was arrested in [[Santa Monica, California]], on June 22, 2011,<ref>Melley, Brian and Greg Risling (June 23, 2011). "FBI arrests mob boss Whitey Bulger in Calif." Associated Press.</ref> remained on the list until May 9, 2012,<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten|title=FBI Ten Most Wanted |access-date=November 27, 2011}}</ref> despite no longer being at large. [[Osama bin Laden]] similarly remained on the list for almost a year after his [[Death of Osama bin Laden|death at the hands of U.S. forces]] on May 2, 2011.<ref>{{cite news |title=FBI replaces bin Laden on Ten Most Wanted list |first=Jeremy |last=Pelofsky |agency=Reuters |website=Yahoo! News |date=April 10, 2012}}</ref>

On occasion, fugitives have been added to the list at the request of local law enforcement. For example, Bureau director [[Clarence M. Kelley]] added [[Twymon Myers]] to the list in 1973 at the request of [[New York City Police Commissioner|New York City police commissioner]] [[Donald Cawley]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/11/15/archives/fugitive-black-militant-is-killed-in-bronx-shootout-with-police.html|title=Fugitive Black Militant Is Killed In Bronx Shootout With Police|website=The New York Times|first=John T.|last=McQuiston|date=15 November 1973}}</ref>

==Former lists==
{{main|Former FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives}}

==List as of November 2025==
<!-- The official FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list is maintained on the FBI website. The information may be copied and distributed, however, any unauthorized alteration of any portion of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives posters is a violation of federal law (18 U.S.C., Section 709). Persons who make or reproduce these alterations are subject to prosecution and, if convicted, shall be fined or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both. -->

[[Bounty (reward)|Rewards]] are offered for information leading to capture of fugitives on the list; the reward is a minimum of $250,000 (until May 2023: $100,000) for all fugitives.<ref name="faq" />

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="width:98%;"
|+
|-
! Photo
! scope="col" style="width:18%;"| Name
! scope="col" style="width:12%;"| Date added
! scope="col" style="width:3%;"| Sequence<br>number
! scope="col" | Comments
|-
| 
! scope="row"|{{center|[[Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel]]}}
| {{center|April 18, 2017}}
| {{center|514}}
| Patel, an Indian national, allegedly stabbed and killed his wife at a [[Dunkin' Donuts]] location in [[Hanover, Maryland]], on April 12, 2015. He was last seen taking a shuttle to [[Newark Penn Station]]. According to authorities, he has connections to [[Canada]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[Illinois]], [[India]], [[Kentucky]], and [[New Jersey]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten/bhadreshkumar-chetanbhai-patel|title=Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel|website=Federal Bureau of Investigation|access-date=April 19, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Bui|first1=Lynh|title=Latest on FBI's most wanted list: Man accused of killing wife in Md. doughnut shop|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/latest-on-fbis-most-wanted-list-man-accused-of-killing-wife-in-md-doughnut-shop/2017/04/18/ae0a9816-2445-11e7-b503-9d616bd5a305_story.html|access-date=April 19, 2017|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=April 18, 2017|url-access=limited}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/new-top-ten-fugitive-bhadreshkumar-chetanbhai-patel|title=New Top Ten Fugitive|website=Federal Bureau of Investigation|access-date=September 6, 2020|date=April 18, 2017}}</ref>
|-
| 
! scope="row"|{{center|[[Alejandro Castillo (criminal)|Alejandro Castillo]]}}
| {{center|October 24, 2017}}
| {{center|516}}
| Castillo is wanted in connection with the August 2016 murder of a 23-year-old woman, Truc Quan "Sandy" Ly Le, whom he had previously dated. The two became acquainted while working together in a restaurant in [[Charlotte, North Carolina]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/new-top-ten-fugitive-alejandro-castillo|title=New Top Ten Fugitive|website=Federal Bureau of Investigation|date=October 24, 2017}}</ref>
|-
| 
! scope="row"|{{center|[[Yulan Adonay Archaga Carias]]}}
| {{center|November 3, 2021}}
| {{center|526}}
| Archaga Carias is charged federally in the [[United States District Court for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]] with racketeering conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and possession and conspiracy to possess machine guns. As the alleged leader of [[MS-13]] for all of Honduras, Archaga Carias allegedly controlled MS-13 criminal activity in Honduras and provided support and resources to the MS-13 enterprise in Central America and the United States with firearms, narcotics, and cash. Archaga Carias is also allegedly responsible for supporting multi-ton loads of cocaine through Honduras to the United States and for ordering and participating in murders of rival gang members and others associated with MS-13.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Alleged MS-13 Leader Added to FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List|url=https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/new-top-ten-fugitive-yulan-adonay-archaga-carias-110321|website=Federal Bureau of Investigation|date=November 3, 2021|access-date=November 4, 2021}}</ref> The reward for information leading to his capture was increased to $5 million on February 8, 2023.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Tabachnick|first1=Cara|date=February 9, 2023|title=U.S. offers $5 million reward for MS-13 gang leader 'Porky'|work=[[CBS]]|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ms-13-gang-us-reward-leader-yulan-adonay-archaga-carias/|access-date=February 11, 2023}}</ref>
|-
| [[File:Dr. Ruja Ignatova (cropped).jpg|center|100px]]
! scope="row"|{{center|[[Ruja Ignatova]]}}
| {{center|June 30, 2022}}
| {{center|527}}
| Ignatova is wanted for her alleged leadership of a massive fraud scheme called [[OneCoin]]. She was last seen in October 2017 in [[Athens]], Greece, and has ties to her birthplace of [[Bulgaria]] and [[Germany]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ruja Ignatova Added to FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List|url=https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/ruja-ignatova-added-to-fbis-ten-most-wanted-fugitives-list|website=Federal Bureau of Investigation|date=June 30, 2022|access-date=July 1, 2022}}</ref> The reward for information leading to her capture was increased to $5 million on June 26, 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2024-06-27 |title=Up to $5 Million Reward for Information Leading to Arrest and/or Conviction of Fraudster Ruja Ignatova |url=https://bg.usembassy.gov/up-to-5-million-reward-for-information-leading-to-arrest-and-or-conviction-of-fraudster-ruja-ignatova/ |access-date=2024-07-10 |website=U.S. Embassy in Bulgaria |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
| 
! scope="row"|{{center|[[Omar Alexander Cardenas]]}}
| {{center|July 20, 2022}}
| {{center|528}}
| Cardenas is wanted for his alleged involvement in the murder of a man outside a barbershop in [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], in the summer of 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Omar Cardenas Added to FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List|url=https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/omar-cardenas-added-to-ten-most-wanted-fugitives-list-072022|website=Federal Bureau of Investigation|date=July 20, 2022|access-date=July 20, 2022}}</ref>
|-
| [[File:Wilver Villegas-Palomino.webp|center|100px]]
! scope="row"|{{center|[[Wilver Villegas-Palomino]]}}
| {{center|April 14, 2023}}
| {{center|530}}
| Wilver Villegas-Palomino is a member of the [[National Liberation Army (Colombia)|National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN))]], a transnational criminal organization and foreign terrorist organization. He is charged with [[narcoterrorism]], international [[cocaine]] distribution conspiracy, and international cocaine distribution. [[United States Department of State]] [[Narcotics Rewards Program]] is offering up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest and/or his conviction.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wilver Villegas-Palomino Added to FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List |url=https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/wilver-villegas-palomino-added-to-fbis-ten-most-wanted-fugitives-list |access-date=2023-04-14 |website=Federal Bureau of Investigation |language=en-us}}</ref>
|-
| [[File:Fausto Isidro Meza Flores headshot.webp|center|100px]]
! scope="row"|{{center|[[Fausto Isidro Meza Flores]]}}
| {{center|February 4, 2025}}
| {{center|533}}
| Fausto Isidro Meza Flores, the alleged leader of the Meza-Flores Transnational Criminal Organization, is wanted for a series of drug-related crimes.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ten Most Wanted Fugitives 501 +|work=[[Federal Bureau of Investigation]]|url=https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten/ten-most-wanted-fugitives-faq/ten-most-wanted-501|access-date=February 4, 2025}}</ref> He allegedly conspired to manufacture and distribute cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana in the United States from 2005 to 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 4, 2025 |title=Fausto Isidro Meza-Flores Added to FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List |url=https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/fausto-isidro-meza-flores-added-to-fbis-ten-most-wanted-fugitives-list |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250206193306/https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/fausto-isidro-meza-flores-added-to-fbis-ten-most-wanted-fugitives-list |archive-date=Feb 6, 2025 |access-date=February 4, 2025 |website=Federal Bureau of Investigation}}</ref>
|-
| [[File:Ryan James Wedding (FBI).webp|alt=Ryan James Wedding FBI Most Wanted Poster|center|frameless|140x140px]]
! scope="row"|{{center|[[Ryan Wedding|Ryan James Wedding]]}}
| {{center|March 6, 2025}}
| {{center|535}}
| Ryan James Wedding is wanted for allegedly running a drug trafficking network that shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia to Canada and the United States. He also has allegedly orchestrated multiple murders in furtherance of these drug crimes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/losangeles/news/former-olympian-added-to-fbis-list-of-ten-most-wanted-fugitives|title=Former Olympian Wanted for Running Transnational Drug Enterprise and Ordering Several Murders Added to FBI's List of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives|date=March 6, 2025|website=Federal Bureau of Investigation|language=en-us|access-date=March 6, 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/20250306201051/https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/losangeles/news/former-olympian-added-to-fbis-list-of-ten-most-wanted-fugitives|archive-date=March 6, 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|{{center}}[[File:Picture of Giovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano.webp|center|frameless|130x130px]]
! scope="row"|{{center|[[Giovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano]]}}
| {{center|June 24, 2025}}
| {{center|536}}
| Giovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano is believed to be a senior leader for [[Tren de Aragua]], a transnational criminal organization from [[Venezuela]]. He is charged with international cocaine distribution, providing material support for terrorists and conspiracy.<ref>{{cite web |title=GIOVANNI VICENTE MOSQUERA SERRANO |url=https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten/giovanni-vicente-mosquera-serrano |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250625191400/https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten/giovanni-vicente-mosquera-serrano |archive-date=Jun 25, 2025 |access-date=Jun 25, 2025 |website=Federal Bureau of Investigation}}</ref>
|-
| [[File:Cindy Rodriguez Singh.webp|center|130x130px]]
! scope="row"|{{center|{{strikethrough|[[Cindy Rodriguez Singh]]}} <small>(captured)</small>}}
| {{Center|July 1, 2025}}
| {{Center|537}}
| Cindy Rodriguez Singh is accused of the murder of her five-year-old son Noel Alvarez, who disappeared in October 2022. She and her family boarded a flight to India in March 2023 shortly after local police performed a welfare check at her home.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/dallas/news/fugitive-cindy-rodriguez-singh-wanted-for-capital-murder-in-everman-texas-added-to-the-fbis-list-of-ten-most-wanted-fugitives |title=Fugitive Cindy Rodriguez Singh, Wanted for Capital Murder in Everman, Texas, Added to the FBI’s List of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives |date=1 July 2024 |website=Federal Bureau of Investigation |access-date=2 July 2025}}</ref> She was arrested in India on August 20, 2025.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Deliso |first1=Meredith |last2=Barr |first2=Luke |title=Woman wanted since 2023 in alleged murder of her 6-year-old son arrested: FBI |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/texas-woman-wanted-alleged-murder-son-arrested/story?id=124825571 |website=ABC News |access-date=August 21, 2025 |date=August 20, 2025}}</ref>
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|United States|Law}}
* {{annotated link|2009 Mexico most-wanted drug lords}}
* {{annotated link|Operation Flagship}}
* {{annotated link|Specially Designated Global Terrorist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{official website|http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten }}
* [https://tips.fbi.gov/home FBI Tip Line]
* {{Twitter|id=fbimostwanted|name=FBI Most Wanted}}
* {{YouTube channel|fbi|c=https://www.youtube.com/@fbi|handle=@fbi|text=FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigation YouTube}}
* [https://www.fbi.gov/news/news_blog/ten-most-wanted-fugitives-list-is-turning-65-years-old Ten most wanted fugitives list is turning 65 years old]—FBI news blog
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080511195200/http://www.amw.com/fugitives/most_wanted_lists.cfm Additional information from ''America's Most Wanted'']

{{FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives by year}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fbi Ten Most Wanted Fugitives}}
[[Category:FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives| ]]
[[Category:1950 establishments in the United States]]