‘Barefoot Bandit’ Strikes Deal, Pleads Guilty

The other shoe has dropped on the Barefoot Bandit. Twenty-year-old Colton Harris-Moore pleaded guilty today to seven federal charges and will receive up to 6 and a half years in prison under the deal, reports the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. He also will not be able to profit from any movies or books based on his story, but proceeds can cover the estimated $1.5 million in restitution he will likely face. Harris-Moore is expected to strike a separate deal on state charges that could result in a 12-year sentence. He would serve the longer of the two.

Harris-Moore became something of a folk hero for a string of thefts he committed, often in his bare feet. He faces about 30 state charges in Washington for robbing more than 100 homes in the Pacific Northwest along with stealing at least five small planes, a boat, and two cars before fleeing to the Bahamas where he was caught. Although it sounds a little like the plot of Catch Me If You Can, prosecutors argued that Harris-Moore should forfeit his rights to the story. His attorneys say their client agrees. "He dislikes publicity intensely," says one. (More Barefoot Bandit stories.)