Steven Jay Russell

Steven Jay Russell (born December 31, 1957) is an American con artist, known for escaping from prison multiple times.

[2] At the age of 18, he began working for the family business, and he also volunteered as a reserve sheriff's deputy and played organ for his church.

[2] Russell began to support himself through a variety of scams including faking slip and fall accidents and selling counterfeit Rolex watches, leading him to be arrested for fraud.

Russell was placed on security watch, but he impersonated an FBI agent and called the hospital on his mobile telephone to tell them he could be released.

[12] Since the movie went into production and Russell's story became more popular, several articles appeared in print and online uncovering lesser known details of his exploits.