Gary Steven Krist (born April 29, 1945) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

convicted of kidnapping and the trafficking of illegal aliens.

Early life

He was born in

Aberdeen, Washington Aberdeen () is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. The population was 17,013 at the 2020 census. The city is the economic center of Grays Harbor County, bordering the cities of Hoquiam and Cosmopolis. Aberdeen is occasi ...

, on April 29, 1945, and grew up in

Pelican, Alaska Pelican ( tli, K'udeis'x̱'e) is a city in the northwestern part of Chichagof Island in Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, Alaska, Hoonah-Angoon Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the population of th ...

. He lived part of his childhood in

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

. His first recorded crime was a string of robberies at the age of 14, in 1959. He escaped with another prisoner from

Deuel Vocational Institution Deuel Vocational Institution (DVI) was a state prison located in unincorporated San Joaquin County, California, near Tracy. The prison closed on September 30, 2021. Facilities DVI opened in 1953 and named for California state senator Charl ...

, a California state prison, in November 1966, while serving a sentence for

automobile theft Motor vehicle theft (also known as a car theft and, in the United States, grand theft auto) is the criminal act of stealing or attempting to steal a motor vehicle. Nationwide in the United States in 2020, there were 810,400 vehicles reported ...

; the other prisoner was killed during the attempt.

Mackle kidnapping

He is best known for

kidnapping In criminal law, kidnapping is the unlawful confinement of a person against their will, often including transportation/asportation. The asportation and abduction element is typically but not necessarily conducted by means of force or fear: the p ...

and burying heiress

Barbara Jane Mackle The 1968 kidnapping of Barbara Jane Mackle was the subject of an autobiographical book which was the basis of two television movies. Background Barbara Jane Mackle, aged 20 at the time of her kidnapping, was the daughter of Robert Mackle, a we ...

alive in a ventilated box in 1968. After receiving $500,000 in ransom money, he was captured and sentenced to life in prison. While imprisoned, Krist wrote a book, ''Life: The Man Who Kidnapped Barbara Jane Mackle'', published in 1972.

Parole and medical practice

Krist was

parole Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...

d after serving 10 years and granted a

pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...

after he was accepted to medical school the

Autonomous University of Guadalajara In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who gives oneself one's ...

in Mexico so that he could become a

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

. In December 2001, after his application to practice medicine in Alabama was rejected, the

Medical Licensing Board of Indiana The Medical Licensing Board of Indiana is a state government agency that licenses and disciplines physicians, surgeons and other healthcare professionals in Indiana. It is a member of the Federation of State Medical Boards. History The Medical Li ...

granted him a probationary license, under which he was required to report to the board every six months and submit to psychiatric evaluation, and was prohibited from prescribing certain drugs. He practiced medicine in Chrisney, Indiana, until his medical license was revoked in 2003, as a result of not disclosing a

disciplinary action In a deliberative assembly, disciplinary procedures are used to punish members for violating the rules of the assembly. Codes and rules According to Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR), discipline could include censure, fine, suspension ...

he had received during his medical residency.

Later crimes

Krist chartered a boat to

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

in January 2006. When he returned on March 6, 2006, authorities were waiting for him and discovered four

illegal aliens Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of the immigration laws of that country or the continued residence without the legal right to live in that country. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upwar ...

, who paid $6,000 each to come to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, and 14

kilogram The kilogram (also kilogramme) is the unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI), having the unit symbol kg. It is a widely used measure in science, engineering and commerce worldwide, and is often simply called a kilo colloquially ...

s of

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...

in paste form valued at around

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

1 million. He was arrested in

Point Clear, Alabama Point Clear is an unincorporated census-designated place (CDP) in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,125. It is part of the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metropolitan area. Geography Point Clear is locat ...

, for

conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between persons (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason, especially with political motivation, while keeping their agree ...

to bring cocaine and illegal aliens into the United States. It was also discovered that he was running a cocaine operation in

Barrow County Barrow County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 83,505. The county seat is Winder. Barrow County is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metr ...

, Georgia. On May 16, 2006, Krist pleaded guilty to drug smuggling; and, on January 19, 2007, he was sentenced to five years and five months in prison at the

Federal Correctional Institution The Federal Bureau of Prisons classifies prisons into seven categories: * United States penitentiaries * Federal correctional institutions * Private correctional institutions * Federal prison camps * Administrative facilities * Federal correctio ...

in Marianna, Florida. He was released from prison in November 2010. On August 27, 2012, in

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

, U.S. District Judge

Callie V. Granade Callie Virginia Granade (née Smith; born March 7, 1950) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama. The first female federal prosecutor in Mobile, Granade became the first ...

revoked Krist's

supervised release Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...

for violating his probation. He had left the country without permission, sailing to

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

and South America on his

sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...

. Judge Granade sentenced Krist to 40 months imprisonment.06-057 - USA V. KRIST ET AL
U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved April 19, 2014.

References

External links