With Colton Harris-Moore’s federal sentencing set to take place this Friday, federal prosecutors are drawing attention to new statements made by the 20-year-old “Barefoot Bandit,” who was arrested and sentenced by the state of Washington to 7½ years in prison for a string of crimes that involved airplane and auto theft, among other infractions.
After expressing remorse for his actions in court during his state sentencing last month, writings obtained from his personal correspondence with friends and family show him denigrating justice officials and boasting of his flying feats, comparing his exploits to those accomplished by aviation’s earliest innovators.
“The things I have done as far as flying an airplanes goes, is amazing. Nobody on this planet [could] have done what I have, except for the Wright brothers,” he said in one e-mail.
“I am confident that anyone else would have died – you can’t just jump in an airplane and fly at night or through weather, you HAVE to be instrument-rated, but I wasn’t and actually taught myself how to fly instrument, which is inconceivable to most pilots and ALL instructors.”
His defense attorney told the L.A. Times that the segments in question were pulled from more than 1,500 pages of correspondence, and that the feds have ignored much evidence within the same documents that illustrates Harris-Moore’s genuine remorse.
How the new statements will affect Harris-Moore’s sentencing on Friday is yet to be seen. He is anticipated to serve the federal sentence concurrently with his state sentence, and federal prosecutors are asking for a 6½-year term while the defense is advocating for one that is eight months shorter.
