Part 117, page 408

Document date 25 July 1975

Open in FBI Vault (Part 117, page 408 of the PDF)

FBI 164-81, Vault Part 117 p. 408 (DB Cooper-53944), Airtel, dated 25 Jul 1975, serial SE 164-81-6608 (as read from the transcript) — cooper.theunsolved.net/parts/Cooper-Part-117/pages/408

Transcript

The scan is the source; the transcript is machine-generated from it.

KC 164-80

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[REDACTED b6, b7C, b7D] claims that during spring of 1974, he was [REDACTED] in Wisconsin and [REDACTED]. He was placed under observation at [REDACTED] Wisconsin, and was [REDACTED] a man called DAVID STAUDT. STAUDT was being tested as he also was claiming insanity since he was charged with a bank robbery which he later beat.

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STAUDT indicated that he jumped out of the airplane, he had a direction finder with him, and his accomplice, a woman, had a homing device in a landrover automobile. Between the homing device and the direction finder, STAUDT was able to be picked up in the dense woods and taken out with the money. STAUDT indicated that he still had the money as it was so hot he could not spend it. Because he was having trouble spending this loot money, he robbed a bank for $9,000. He beat the bank robbery case which he was charged with since his lawyer had the hospital superintendent "in the bag." STAUDT indicated that he made one mistake in this entire skyjacking, in that he had previously used the alias D. B. COOPER and he was very upset over this and he hoped to get this straightened out when he got out of the hospital.

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[REDACTED b6, b7C, b7D] states that he believes that STAUDT is the most brilliant criminal [REDACTED]. STAUDT apparently never pulled any time except when he was a youth at the Federal Correctional Institute, Chilicothe, Ohio. He currently is an "Antique car freak" spending over $30,000 for cars. He travels in very high moneyed society and always has highly attractive women with him.

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STAUDT was telling him some of his schemes for kidnaping such as to make a large remote control airplane and have the loot money put on the airplane and fly it away to where he was located therefore beating the surveillance of the drop. He also has a scheme in which he would tunnel under a house and have the loot money put into a garbage can in the house. The garbage can would have a false bottom and he would get the money from it and make his getaway undetected.

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DB COOPER-53944

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AI notes

Commentary by the AI model that transcribed this page. It may bring in context the page itself does not state. The scan is the source; the transcript is machine-generated from it.

FBI case file number designation, page 2 of report. An informant (redacted) claims he was placed under observation in Wisconsin during spring 1974, where he encountered a man named David Staudt, who was also being evaluated for insanity in connection with a bank robbery charge he later beat. Staudt allegedly claims to be the skyjacker, describing how he jumped from the plane with a direction finder while a female accomplice tracked him with a homing device in a Land Rover. He was retrieved from dense woods with the money. Because the money was 'hot,' he robbed a bank for $9,000. He beat that charge through a corrupt hospital superintendent. He stated his one mistake was previously using the alias D.B. Cooper. The informant describes Staudt as a brilliant criminal who has avoided prison except for a youth stint at the Federal Correctional Institute in Chillicothe, Ohio. Staudt is portrayed as wealthy, an antique car enthusiast spending over $30,000 on cars, who associates with high society and attractive women. Staudt allegedly described kidnapping schemes to the informant: using a remote-control airplane to fly ransom money away from surveillance, and tunneling under a house to retrieve loot from a false-bottomed garbage can. FBI Vault Bates-style identifier stamp for the D.B. Cooper file release. Page number 2 of the document.

Typewritten FBI report page with redaction boxes (b6, b7C, b7D)
Some minor speckling but text is clearly readable

Part 117, page 408

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