'Barefoot Bandit' pleads guilty in US (AFP)

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – A teenager dubbed the "Barefoot Bandit" pleaded guilty Friday to a string of audacious crimes across the United States, which ended with his arrest in the Bahamas.

Colton Harris-Moore, 20, confessed to his crimes in the northwestern US state of Washington, where he was flown last year following his arrest after a high-speed boat chase.

Harris-Moore -- whose nickname stems from the discovery of bare footprints at his crime scenes -- admitted seven charges including bank robbery, stealing an aircraft, flying a plane without a license and stealing a boat.

Under a plea deal he is expected to be jailed for up to six and a half years in jail, although a judge could impose more, according to the US attorney's office in Washington state.

"The many years of Mr. Harris-Moore avoiding responsibility for his criminal conduct have come to an end," said US Attorney Jenny Durkan in a statement.

"We have ensured he will not profit from his crimes, and that his victims will be compensated to the greatest extent possible. While we cannot stop him from telling his story, we can make sure he never sees a dime for his crimes."

A 2009 criminal complaint alleges Harris-Moore stole the 340,000-dollar Cessna plane from Idaho and flew it to Washington after committing a string of burglaries and vehicle thefts in the United States and Canada.

Since Harris-Moore's escape from a group home in 2008, "approximately 65 investigations have been initiated into crimes which have him listed as the primary suspect," the complaint said.

He is accused of residential and commercial burglaries, vehicle theft and assaults on law enforcement officers, the complaint added.

Harris-Moore was arrested July 11 in the Bahamas, after a dramatic high-speed boat chase on Bahamas Harbour Island, one week after police found the wreckage of a stolen plane they believe he flew to the archipelago.

His youth and the bold nature of his crimes have turned him into a folk hero for some, who have romanticized him as a latter-day Billy the Kid.

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"Barefoot Bandit" pleads guilty to federal charges (Reuters)

By Laura L. Myers Laura L. Myers – Fri Jun 17, 6:48 pm ET

SEATTLE (Reuters) – A 20-year-old man dubbed the "Barefoot Bandit" and accused of a two-year crime spree while he was still a teenager pleaded guilty on Friday to seven federal charges.

Colton Harris-Moore, who was captured in the Bahamas last July after crash-landing a plane he allegedly stole in Indiana, pleaded guilty under an agreement with prosecutors that prevents him from profiting from his crimes.

According to the plea deal the Washington-state native could be sentenced to a maximum of 78 months in prison and will be ordered to pay more than $1.4 million in restitution when he is sentenced in October.

Harris-Moore, who was named a suspect in a two-year wave of some 80 crimes across nine Western and Midwestern States, British Columbia and the Bahamas, also faces trial in state court, where five Washington counties have filed a combined 40 criminal counts against him.

"Mr. Harris-Moore's flight from justice has ended. He will spend a significant amount of time in prison and he will not make a dime from his crimes," U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan said outside court after the sentencing hearing.

Under the 28-page plea agreement, Harris-Moore, a high school dropout and self-taught pilot who gained an Internet following as he allegedly taunted authorities on the run, must forfeit any financial gain from telling his story.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of bank burglary, two counts of interstate transportation of a stolen aircraft and one count each of interstate and foreign transportation of a stolen firearm, being a fugitive in possession of a firearm, piloting an aircraft without a valid license, and interstate transportation of a stolen vessel.

Those charges were contained in a seven-count indictment unsealed at the start of the hearing.

Harris-Moore, who grew up in the Puget Sound community of Camano Island, north of Seattle, is accused of stealing boats and planes to hop from one island to another in Puget Sound as he stayed one step ahead of authorities.

He is accused of flying one stolen aircraft about 1,000 miles from Indiana to the Bahamas last year. It was there that he was finally captured by Bahamian police who shot out the engine of a boat in which he was trying to make a getaway.

Harris-Moore was extradited back to Seattle to face the federal charges.

(Writing by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Greg McCune)

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"Barefoot Bandit" plea deal expected soon: lawyer (Reuters)

SEATTLE (Reuters) – An accused serial thief dubbed the "Barefoot Bandit" pleaded not guilty on Thursday to a newly filed burglary charge, but a plea deal with prosecutors on all six counts he faces in federal court appears imminent, his lawyer said.

Colton Harris-Moore, 20, suspected in a two-year spree of sometimes-shoeless crimes across nine U.S. states, British Columbia and the Bahamas, entered his plea during a five-minute arraignment appearance before a magistrate judge in Seattle.

His defense attorney, John Henry Browne, told reporters afterward that a plea deal on the overall federal case could be finalized later on Thursday, but would not be made public for about a week.

He told Reuters hours later that a final draft of a plea agreement was "on the table" and ready for review over the next week.

Browne said reaching a deal has been complicated in part by the question of whether Harris-Moore, a high school dropout and self-taught pilot, should be permitted to sell and profit from the rights to his life story.

The federal indictment against him stipulates that if convicted, Harris-Moore must turn over proceeds from "any and all intellectual property or other proprietary rights" to pay about $1.4 million in restitution.

Harris-Moore has been indicted on a total of six federal charges, including interstate transportation of a stolen plane, boat and a gun, as well as being a fugitive in possession of a firearm and flying a plane without a pilot's license. The latest charge stemmed from the burglary of an automated teller machine.

He faces dozens more charges in Washington state court.

(Reporting by Laura Myers; Editing by Steve Gorman and Greg McCune)

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