03/19/2009
George Feder, once one of America's most wanted jewel thieves who now uses the knowledge he gained as a criminal for good, will share his former exploits on Tuesday, March 24, at SUNY Cortland.
Feder, a security consultant who at one time was dubbed "the Houdini of jewel thieves" by Miami police and the F.B.I., will offer "Walking Through Walls: Tales of a Jewel Thief" at 7 p.m. in Brockway Hall Jacobus Lounge. Presented by the College's Sociology/Anthropology Department, the talk is free and open to the public.
The program is intended to educate viewers on topics that will help them live more peaceful, crime-free lives.
"After all, it takes a thief to catch a thief," Feder said. "I will take you through a variety of situations that will help you to understand why thieves do the things they do and, more importantly, how."
Feder's chosen arena for a decade of heists was the high-risk world of high-rise residences. In fact, the F.B.I. credited only nine other thieves they knew who could pull off Feder's type of break-in.
"I grew up in a Queens, N.Y., neighborhood where working stiffs and wise guys mingled and casual larceny was the norm," Feder said. "In adolescence, I chose my career path. By early manhood, I found Frankie, a psychotic master jewel thief. Over a few years, I persuaded him to take me on as an apprentice."
Under Frankie's tutelage, Feder said he learned the intricacies of stealing at altitude and was introduced to elite Miami fences, corrupt attorneys and well-wired fixers throughout the U.S. For a decade, he tormented law enforcement officers in Florida, Chicago, California, New York and points between, seemingly walking through walls to carry off some of the finest jewelry ever made.
"Success fed my habit and I took greater and greater chances to reap still greater rewards," Feder said. "My first arrest came in a chance encounter with police. Charges were dismissed but I was a marked man, repeatedly arrested then allowed to post bond. Feeling cornered, I fled."
Arrested by the F.B.I. in 1977, he served six years and eight months in the State of Florida prison system. Paroled in 1983, he continued his criminal lifestyle until 1984, when he was arrested by the Drug Enforcement Agency in Palm Beach, Fla., on racketeering charges stemming from the importation of large amounts of cocaine from South America. He pled guilty and served three years in Atlanta Federal Penitentiary.
Paroled and caring for aged and ailing parents, in 1994 he turned his life around when he sought and found repentance and atonement for his crimes through a 12 Step program. Feder embraced sobriety, re-established a relationship with his estranged daughter, and dedicated his life to the volunteer education of the public on ways to make their lives, families and homes safer from thieves.
After inventing a pickproof lock, Feder emerged on the national stage through many appearances as a crime prevention expert and reporter on "America's Most Wanted," the Fox Network's series. He has also contributed monthly columns in Manhunter on burglaries he performed as well as advice concerning what people could have done to stop him.
The lecture is sponsored by the Campus Artist and Lecture Series, the Division of Institutional Advancement, the Provost's Office, the Sociology-Anthropology Alumni Fund, the national honor society for students of criminal justice Alpha Phi Sigma and the student organization Criminology Society.
For more information, contact Professor of Sociology/Anthropology Stuart Traub at (607) 753-2724 or stuart.traub@cortland.edu.