Michael Cera play Colton Harris-Moore, Actor, Picture, video, Movie | News Live News

Michael Cera play Colton Harris-Moore, Actor, Picture, video, Movie | News Live News

I understand the desire for lawmakers to make sure this guy does not make a profit from his crimes, however this does mean than a ton of other people will, while glorifying the actions in any case.Michael Cera play Colton Harris-Moore, actor, Picture, video, Movie

And where does that leave Harris-Moore? No possible source of income, no future (who will hire him?), and no way out of a shitty mess except to live in prison the rest of his life (if not these crimes, then what he'll have to do in future to stay alive).

It's kind of frightening to me that one can sign away, or be bullied into giving away, the story of your life. As Kickstart said - sure, punish the guy, he's going to be paying and doing jailtime. But why not let him benefit off a story that's his and his alone? I mean, he can be a fucked up kid and pay for his crimes. At least let him enjoy profiting off of his own personality.

He is and still can sell his story rights... he just can't use the money for anything other than paying off his victims. One point of law is to put your finger on the scale and make crimes not worth committing. Being denied the ability to profit from your fame and having to work as a cashier at the local super market just sounds like justice to me.

Part of his punishment being that he is stripped of his ability to make money off of his fame sounds like a perfectly reasonable, if slightly non-traditional form of punishmentA better option would be to set a limit on how much he can be paid to a reasonable income, to be kept in trust until he leaves prison.

Appearing in U.S. District Court in Seattle, the lanky, 6-foot-5 Camano Island man entered guilty pleas to each of the federal charges. Under a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, Harris-Moore, 20, also agreed to forfeit any proceeds earned from the sale of his story.

The forfeiture issue had been a sticking point in plea negotiations between federal prosecutors and the defense, according to Harris-Moore's attorney, John Henry Brown. Browne has said that Harris-Moore did not want to profit from his crime spree and intends any proceeds to go toward paying restitution, which Browne said is in the range of $1.5 million.

"Whether the government wants it or not, there will be a movie. There will be more books. And there will be money from them," Browne said earlier this month. [sorce : boingboing]

Could actor Michael Cera play Colton Harris-Moore?

Colton Harris-Moore is headed for Hollywood.

Let me be clear: I don’t mean Harris-Moore himself. The 20-year-old former fugitive entered a guilty plea at the federal courthouse in Seattle Friday, meaning he could be headed to jail for as many as 6.5 years.

But federal Judge Richard Jones, presiding over the hearing Friday, said the so-called “Barefoot Bandit” is in negotiations for a movie deal. Indeed, Variety reported earlier this year that Fox snapped up the feature rights to Harris-Moore’s man-on-the-run story.

Harris-Moore won’t get rich from Hollywood’s take on his crimes. He’ll likely have to pay $1.5 million in restitution, and a special master has been appointed to ensure proceeds are paid to his victims.

Variety reports the movie will be called “Taking Flight: The Hunt for a Young Outlaw.” Some speculate it will be produced in the fashion of 2002′s “Catch Me If You Can,” another fugitive-on-the-run film staring Leonardo DiCaprio.

I talked with writer Bob Friel last year when Harris-Moore was captured. Friel authored a book the movie will likely be based on, and he said you can’t make this kind of stuff up.

“Story wise, it was amazing,” Friel said, talking on a cell phone from the Bahamas after the arrest. “It was a fitting end to this.”

At that point, he didn’t have any ideas about who might play Harris-Moore in a film version of his book. But after Fox bought the rights in April, the Internet starting buzzing about casting possibilities.

The soft-spoken Michael Cera is often mentioned often. So is Logan Lerman, the star of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.” [source : seattlepi]

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On May 10, San Juan County prosecutors added weight to a mound of criminal charges facing Colton Harris-Moore, the so-called "Barefoot Bandit", filing a 21-page probable cause document in San Juan County Superior Court that describes in detail the 15 felonies that local authorities contend he committed during a two-year crime spree in the San Juans.

According to Prosecuting Attorney Randy Gaylord, that document contains evidence linking Harris-Moore to the 15 felonies and lays out a timeline of each break-in, burglary and theft that the 20-year-old is alleged to have committed. It creates a factual account of what had up until now been mostly accurate speculation, he said.

"The charges confirm what has been 'lore' on Orcas Island for sometime now," Gaylord said.

Of the 16 charges, he noted 13 involve break-ins, burglaries and thefts on Orcas, the epicenter of Harris-Moore's alleged criminal activity in the San Juans. In all, Harris-Moore, who's exploits grabbed national headlines during an alleged two-year crime spree that span nine states and prompted an international manhunt, faces eight counts of second-degree burglary, four counts of first-degree theft and three counts of residential burglary, all of which are Class B felonies, in San Juan County Superior Court.

In Island County, Harris-Moore, who eluded capture for more than two years following an escape from a juvenile detention center in Renton in 2008, faces 14 criminal counts in Superior Court, which includes four new felonies filed by prosecutors there on May 17.

Island County Prosecutor Greg Banks told the Whidbey News Times, a sister publication of the Journal, that authorities in Island County

want to ensure that Harris-Moore is held accountable for crimes committed in their jurisdiction. "Our victims have expressed concern that they will be lost in the shuffle if somehow the cases were all resolved in federal court. They didn't have airplanes and yachts stolen from them," Banks said. "They are worried that 'mere' burglaries won't be taken seriously there. They have also told me that, since Colton, the way of life on Camano has changed. They are sad about that."

Harris-Moore is slated to stand trial in federal court in July. His alleged string of break-ins and burglaries ended with his arrest in the Bahamas nearly a year ago. Authorities maintain that he fled the United States in a stolen airplane which he heisted in Indiana. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in November on five criminal charges, only one of which is tied to the San Juans.

Like authorities in Island County, Gaylord said prosecutors in the San Juans intend for Harris-Moore to be held accountable in the San Juans as well.

"Our goal it to make sure Mr. Colton Harris-Moore is accountable here in San Juan County, and to make sure the victims that are here have a voice and their losses are recognized," he said.

In addition to cash, merchandise, household belongings and credit cards, Harris-Moore is also accused of stealing four boats and three airplanes as part of his alleged crime spree in the San Juans. He reportedly learned to pilot a plane by studying flight manuals ordered over the Internet.

Though the amount could change, Gaylord said a preliminary estimate of the damage and losses associated with the Harris-Moore's alleged crimes totals roughly $250,000. [source : seattlepi]

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Colton Harris-Moore -- Camano Island's own "Barefoot Bandit" and international celebrity fugitive --again pleaded not guilty to a string of burglaries on Thursday.

Appearing Thursday in U.S. District Court, Harris-Moore pleaded not guilty to charges contained in a second grand jury indictment filed last month.

The case, however, may be resolved soon.

John Henry Browne, Harris-Moore's attorney, said prosecutors and the defense are "very close" to a plea deal for the Barefoot Bandit. A preliminary draft of the plea deal could be completed later Thursday.

Browne wouldn't offer details of the plea deal but said it would resolve criminal accusations against Harris-Moore in state and federal courts.

Harris-Moore, 20, is facing a slew of charges stemming from his lengthy flight from justice. The alleged plane and boat thief was arrested in the Bahamas after he crashed a stolen aircraft there in July.

Having spent his 20th birthday behind bars at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac in January, Harris-Moore was scheduled to go on trial in July for a string of thefts across the country following his escape from a Renton group home on April 22, 2008.

After his escape, Harris-Moore developed a reputation for committing crimes while barefoot and, on at least one occasion, naked. Investigators claim he also had a taste for planes, stealing as many as five during his two years on the run.

The Camano Island youth is suspected in more than 80 crimes, including several aircraft thefts and assaults on law officers, and would likely face juries in local jurisdictions after the federal case concludes.

In a grand jury indictment handed down May 25, federal prosecutors in Seattle for the first time accused Harris-Moore of a Sept. 5, 2009, break-in at an Orcas Island bank.

Federal prosecutors also claim, in essence, that Harris-Moore should be made to forfeit any rights to his story and be barred from profiting from any sales.

“The property forfeited includes … any and all intellectual property or other proprietary rights belonging to the defendant, based upon or pertaining to any narration, description, publication, dissemination or disclosure of information relating to” the crimes charged, prosecutors said in the indictment.

Prosecutors go on to assert that Harris-Moore should give up “any profits or proceeds received in connection with any publication or dissemination of information relating to illegal conduct.”

Harris-Moore doesn't want to profit from his story, Browne said. But he does want to use any proceeds to pay restitution.

"He does not want to make a dime off of it. He thinks it's wrong. He doesn't want his family to make a dime off of it," Browne said.

The recent indictment followed on new charges filed earlier this year against Harris-Moore by county prosecutors around the state. On May 17, Island County prosecutors charged Harris-Moore with 14 theft-related counts; San Juan County prosecutors recently charged him with 16 similar counts.

The new action by the federal grand jury follows a five-count indictment filed in November accusing Harris-Moore of crimes in British Columbia, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

Federal prosecutors contend Harris-Moore took a stolen .32-caliber pistol from Idaho to Washington, and carried a .22-caliber pistol while on the run in Washington. Harris-Moore is accused of stealing a plane in Idaho, flying it without a license and stealing a boat to travel from Ilwaco, Wash., on the Long Beach peninsula, to Oregon.

Harris-Moore's flight from authorities garnered him thousands of fans and nationwide media attention, to the frustration of Jenny Durkan, U.S. attorney for Western Washington.

"There is nothing in his acts to be admired, and nothing should be glorified," Durkan said following Harris-Moore's arrest. "Real people were hurt by his actions."

Harris-Moore's attorneys contend he was "scared to death" while on the run, and characterized his actions as youthful mistakes.

The young man had been in solitary confinement at the Federal Detention Center, reading National Geographic and making technical drawings of airplanes, his attorneys said. His attorneys have described him as a shy young man, unhappy with the notoriety that saw him garner significant national attention – and legions of fans – before he was arrested in the Bahamas after crashing a stolen plane near the islands.

Harris-Moore’s accommodations appeared to have changed someone; he injured his leg recently during a detention center volleyball game.

Court documents show that federal and state prosecutors and Harris-Moore’s defense team are working toward a global plea agreement that would see Harris-Moore resolve all the allegations against him.

Requesting a minor scheduling change that would still see Harris-Moore face a jury in July, prosecutors and defense attorneys previously told U.S. District Court Judge Richard Jones they needed several more weeks to pursue the negotiations.

“The parties are currently involved in settlement negotiations that may potentially resolve this case, the pending cases in Snohomish, Skagit, Island, and San Juan counties, and matters in other jurisdictions,” the attorneys told the court. “The negotiations have been meaningful and productive.”

Such an agreement would likely see Harris-Moore plead guilty to federal charges after receiving assurances from state and local prosecutors that he would either not be charged or that his plea in federal court would resolve those cases. []

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Lawyers for the Barefoot Bandit expect to make an announcement within 10 days.
By Jackson Holtz, Herald Writer
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SEATTLE -- Lawyers for the Barefoot Bandit expect to announce within 10 days whether the Camano Island man will enter a guilty plea to six federal charges or proceed to trial.

Negotiations between the federal government and attorneys for Colton Harris-Moore have narrowed in on money that may be earned should Harris-Moore sell his story.

That doesn't mean the talks have stopped.

"Federal plea negotiation have not hit a snag at this point," said Emma Scanlon, Harris-Moore's defense attorney. "We are moving forward."

The complex legal case against the 20-year-old Camano Island man is proceeding and some resolution is likely soon, Scanlon said.

On Tuesday, federal prosecutors balked at a provision in the plea agreement that would allow Harris-Moore to sell his story to help pay restitution, said John Henry Browne, Scanlon's law partner.

"Colton has been talking about this since the day I met him, that he'd like to make restitution to victims," Browne said.

Harris-Moore said he's not interested in personally profiting, or his family profiting, by telling his account of years on the run.

Government representatives on Wednesday refused to share details of the plea negotiations with reporters.

"We have no comment. It is the policy of the U.S. Attorney's Office that we do not discuss plea negotiations in any case," said Emily Langlie, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Seattle.

Harris-Moore is said to be seeking up to $400,000 in exchange for sharing the tale of how he piloted planes and evaded capture, sources said. He's likely responsible for more than $3 million in losses.

Both individual victims and insurance companies are due restitution, Browne said.

"They have a right to be made whole," Browne said. He said a plan was drafted that would appoint a special master, likely a retired judge or prosecutor, who would supervise victim repayment.

That plan is part of the ongoing negotiations with the government.

Lawyers' fees are not part of the deal, Browne said. The high-profile Seattle attorney and others at his law practice are working pro-bono for Harris-Moore, Browne said. If Browne's practice were to bill at $125 per hour, the rate compensated to court-appointed defense attorneys, the total cost to represent Harris-Moore likely far exceeds $100,000. The case has proved more complex and difficult than anticipated, Browne said.

Meanwhile, Harris-Moore's legal woes continue to build as an anticipated plea deal nears.

On May 25, a federal grand jury handed down a new charge accusing him of a 2009 bank burglary in Eastsound on Orcas Island.

The latest federal indictment also requires that Harris-Moore forfeit all proceeds from selling his story to the federal government. Browne has said he typically would challenge such a forfeiture clause, but has agreed to the forfeiture to settle Harris-Moore's case.

Harris-Moore made international headlines for a two-year crime spree that included five stolen planes, stolen boats and dozens of burglaries. He prowled homes on Camano Island for years before expanding his turf to include the San Juan Island, and eventually nine states and three countries.

He was arrested on July 11 in the Bahamas.

Scanlon said negotiations also are under way with prosecutors in Island, San Juan and Skagit counties, where Harris-Moore faces dozens of charges for theft and burglary, among other property crimes.

Resolution of the state charges will follow either a federal plea agreement or a trial, she said.

Harris-Moore is scheduled to be arraigned on freshly filed charges Thursday in federal court in Seattle.

He is expected to enter a not-guilty plea, Browne said. [source : heraldnet]

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