Scam Artist Pleads Guilty to Posing as Disaster Official

A one-time soldier of fortune pleaded guilty Thursday to impersonating a federal disaster official and passing out bogus purchase orders for everything from gold to a new car.

Billy Joe Keesee, 61, who was captured two years ago while a fugitive in Germany, pleaded guilty in federal court in Los Angeles to four counts, including two for wire fraud, one for impersonating a federal official and another for giving false statements to federal investigators. He could face up to 18 years in prison and be fined $1 million.

The appearance in federal court was the second phase of a judicial process that has taken place since his return to the United States. He was tried and convicted in New Jersey for stealing an aircraft and passport violations and sentenced to 57 months in prison.

Before he stole the airplane, Keesee set up a bogus Federal Emergency Management Agency office in Long Beach. Using it as a base, Keesee admitted cutting false purchase orders for equipment and federal investigators said he was in the process of purchasing an airplane when the scam was discovered.

Keesee first came on the public scene when, as a young Army sergeant, he hijacked a plane and flew it to Cuba. He later hijacked a plane in Bangkok and flew it to North Vietnam, where he was imprisoned for 2 1/2 years.