Interview of Nevada source re Frank Painter as D.B. Cooper
This copy: Part 118 pp. 318–319Also filed at Part 118 pp. 315–317 (primary)
This copy’s own title
Interview of Nevada source re Franklin John Painter background and alias Nick Leuis
Transcribed 18 October 2000
Another copy of this document is the primary, most legible copy: Part 118 pp. 315–317.
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Id: Cooper-Part-118:318-319
Subject: Cooper Files: Cooper-Part-118:318-319 Document: FD-302 interview of Nevada source re Franklin John Painter background and alias Nick Leuis Id: Cooper-Part-118:318-319 Page: https://cooper.theunsolved.net/documents/Cooper-Part-118%3A318-319 What is wrong (title, date, type, which pages belong together, copies)? What does the scan show?
A person reads every report. Corrections are made by hand, to the data — titles, dates, names, which pages belong together — never to the scans, and they can take a while to appear.
FBI 164-81, Vault Part 118 pp. 318–319 (DB Cooper-54437–54438), FD-302 interview, transcribed 18 Oct 2000 — cooper.theunsolved.net/documents/Cooper-Part-118%3A318-319
FD-302 (Rev. 10-6-95)
- 1 -
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
Date of transcription 10/18/2000
On this date, [REDACTED] date of birth [REDACTED] and Social Security Account Number (SSAN) [REDACTED] was contacted for interview at her residence, [REDACTED] Nevada [REDACTED] telephone [REDACTED], regarding possible knowledge relating to the FBI investigation of the hijacking committed allegedly by a D.B. Cooper in [blank], from Portland, Oregon.
[REDACTED] was advised of the official identity of the interviewing Special Agent and the purpose of the interview, a follow-up to her recent telephone call to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at Seattle, Washington, regarding the hijacking (NORJAK) and [REDACTED] anonymity.
[REDACTED] (Protect Identity), previously known as [REDACTED] confidentially advised that she believes that the true identity of the hijacker D.B. Cooper is that of [REDACTED] Frank Painter, who is still living and who currently resides at 1000 B Cherry Hill Court, Polson, Montana 59860, near the San Luis mountains.
[REDACTED] stated that she feels very strongly that they are identical because [REDACTED] Frank confessed [REDACTED] in the early 1970s that he was the one who did the hijacking and that shortly thereafter, Frank Painter changed his name to an alias, Nick Leuis, and disappeared for 20 years, making his family assume the new name.
She advised that she is now coming forward to expose this matter because Frank deserted [REDACTED] at this time. [REDACTED] indicated that if any reward is gained from this information, she intends to provide the proceeds to [REDACTED]. She stated that [REDACTED] Lucinda Reyes, originally told her about the confession and that each family member agreed the artist renderings published of D.B. Cooper were indeed Frank Painter.
During a three-way telephone conversation following the interview, [REDACTED] and SA Joseph A. Dushek, FBI Las Vegas, were advised by Lucinda Reyes, 320 Reyes Way, Yerrington, Nevada, that the full name of [REDACTED] Frank is:
Investigation on 10/17/2000 at [REDACTED] Nevada
File # SE 164A-81-7[illegible]([illegible]-)
Date dictated 10/18
by SA JOSEPH A. DUSHEK:jad
[handwritten, illegible] 315 39.[illegible]
This document contains neither recommendations nor conclusions of the FBI. It is the property of the FBI and is loaned to your agency; it and its contents are not to be distributed outside your agency.
[stamp:] SEARCHED SERIALIZE ... FBI SEATTLE
DB COOPER-54437
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[illegible circled handwritten annotation/initials]
FD-302a (Rev. 10-6-95)
SE 164A-81
Continuation of FD-302 of [redacted] , On 10/17/2000 , Page 2
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Franklin John Painter, born on April 27, 1937, at Bakersfield, California, who is described as a white American male, 5'11" to 6' tall, 170 to 190 pounds (presently), black receding hair, salt and pepper in color, with full beard and mustache (mountain man style), brown eyes, and is unemployed.
[redacted] provided a color photograph of Frank Painter and indicated that he now drives a 2000 white Chevrolet pickup truck with a camper, Montana license plates unknown.
[redacted] advised that Frank is now remarried to an American Indian woman named Bernadette, aka "Puggie," and they are living under his assumed alias as Mr. and Mrs. Nick Leuis. Frank can be contacted via the Internet at [email protected] in Montana, where they live near the Canadian border.
[redacted] stated that Frank's mother and [redacted] Emilia R. Greefer, is now deceased and had been living at Ely, Nevada, and finally at Yerrington, Nevada, near Reno. [redacted] still resides in that residence with [redacted] Bennie Reyes, now retired, and was one of ten siblings, some of which were raised by relatives and/or foster homes.
[redacted] related that [redacted] Emilia Greefer, had told them that the FBI came to her residence right after the hijacking asking to check on Franks' brother, Joseph Belmont Painter, born on June 26, 1937. She believes that Joseph was arrested by the FBI, who checked Joseph Painter out and released him as being non-identical. They were told that the grandmother did not tell them about Frank and he has remained in hiding for 20 years, later resurfacing and now in contact with [redacted] her, and [redacted].
[redacted] stated that Greefer also advised them that Frank had hitchhiked to his mother's house after the incident and had a small black suitcase with him that was burned on one corner and looked beat up. She indicated that Frank claimed that after parachuting into the forest, he built a campfire and it was partially burned during the night. He reportedly would always keep the suitcase with him even while in the bathroom.
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DB COOPER-54438
Serials: SE 164-81