Joseph Franklin Bent
Quick Facts
Biography
Joseph Franklin Bent, Jr. (born November 30, 1927) was a robber who was on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in 1951.
He was also known by the aliases Charles "Hap" Rayborn and Coal Frederick Raymond (among others); the FBI had not tied these names to Bent, a veteran robber, until 16 months after his addition to the Ten Most Wanted list on January 9, 1951. Bent, a United States Army veteran, was added under the charges of robbery, attempted murder, and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution after escaping jail in Gretna, Louisiana. He was captured in Texas City, Texas on August 29, 1952 on the advice of a tip from Alaska that had placed him in Monterrey, Mexico. When two agents attempted to arrest him in his apartment, Bent began to run and appeared to attempt to draw a weapon (he later turned out to be unarmed) and was shot once and wounded in the leg. He was tackled by the agents and eventually apprehended. Bent perviously served time at United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth and Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary for his heists. His previous occupations included a fireman, fisherman, railway switch man, and truck driver.