NYC Fugitive Discovered Vacationing In Disney World Taken Into Custody After Almost A Year On The Run

A New York City fugitive who had been evading capture for almost a year was discovered while vacationing in Disney World. 

Federal postal inspector Jeff Andre was visiting the resort’s Animal Kingdom theme park on Oct. 20 when he saw Quashon Burton. Andre, who was working on Burton’s case, recognized him from a distinct neck tattoo.

Andre alerted Disney World Security, who called the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. Officers approached Burton while he was waiting at a bus stop with some of his family members.

When police asked him for identification, he refused and resisted arrest. He was charged with resisting arrest and handed over to federal authorities. 

Burton, 31, fled his Brooklyn home last year after being accused of stealing the identities of at least four people to obtain $150,000 in COVID-19 relief aid fraudulently. He used an ATM to buy money orders from a New York City post office to get cash from the PPP loans. 

Burton faces charges of conspiracy to steal government funds, theft of public money, property, or records, and aggravated identity theft.

On Oct. 27, a Florida judge ruled that Burton could be released with electronic monitoring in New York. However, Judge Lewis Kaplan from the Southern District of New York ruled that he should be held without bail while he awaits trial.