AK - Samantha Koenig, 18, Anchorage, 1 Feb 2012 - #5

[IHAVENOCLUE]

I don't know..but I feel like something is up with him and who he is. I think we might find out he is a complicated individual... If he's been into fraud, that could work hand in hand with identity theft IMO. And just between the dates related to the army service/ award, the past jail stint and the races he ran we have multiple age descrepincies. Who does that? It doesn't add up.

I personally do NOT get why on earth he would use a card that belonged to her. It makes no sense. And I also can't imagine LE would be so quick to assume someone is alive based on the use of a debit or credit card. Thieves gets busted like that all the time. They would have been on that so fast. It just doesn't add up to me.

I am just going to throw out an idea that started when a poster in back pages mentioned credit/debit card skimmers.
Could he, or someone, have placed a skimmer on the machine at the Coffee Grounds, and released it when Samantha was abducted?
That would account for the charges he is facing, and this may have alerted the owners. Possibly LE didn't want to announce this development because they 1.) wanted to have the machine lead them to Samantha and/or other members of the "ring", or 2.) not want to give other potential thieves any ideas on "perfecting their craft"..
You may rip any of these ideas apart, but do so gently, please.lease:

 

[Deleted member 718]

I must have missed that. How was it spelled on the award?

Isreal instead of Israel.

http://keyesconstruction.net/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/AAM_award.152155131.jpg

I have friends who run in races and it's not unusual for the results to be labeled wrong. With a big race there can be hundreds of runners.

ETA: I just put in my friend name and the results are all over the place. Try a runner you know and see if you get similar results.

 

[bdawk20]

Wow! Good point, Sleuth!
Maybe this is why we are all having so many problems getting background info.
Is it possible to get public records on Canadian citizens? I have never tried.

He could have been born in Canada, but wouldn't he have had to gain American citizenship in order to serve in the US military?

 

[GutFeeling!]

He could have been born in Canada, but wouldn't he have had to gain American citizenship in order to serve in the US military?

You don't have to enter with citizenship. After a year of serving you can apply (as opposed to those that have to wait between 3 and 5 years normally)

 

[GutFeeling!]

If it were the case that this was all staged, wouldn't law enforcement be devoting much less resources to it?

I could see them still working the case because there could certainly be criminal charges for staging an abduction and especially for fraudulently soliciting "reward" money. But in that scenario, I don't think they would have the FBI and the Texas Rangers in on the case. Seems like a huge waste of man-power if you know that the whole thing is not really as it seems.

JMO

The Texas Rangers in a case like this would be called in to make sure everything is done correctly. They sometimes oversee an investigation. We just had them here when an officer fired his weapon (while being dragged by a car the suspect was driving). Considering so many agencies were involved and the nature of the crime it is normal.

I doon't think Samantha staged this for reasons I have no idea about .... yet LOL

 

[Psychic Sleuth]

Didn't I hear someone mention that he might have an accent? Or perhaps they were talking about someone else...I don't know...thought I read something about that?

 

[z560]

Good questions..but wouldn't the military issue his award in his legal name? (And why was it spelled incorrectly on the award? Did we ever figure that out?)

This was discussed in thread #4.

Interestingly the award has his name misspelled, contains no date of issue, and follows quite closely the wording of an example on the website armywriter.com.

However, a lot of these issues could be the result of sloppiness on the part of whoever it was that wrote up the award. The example could be a template issued by the Army itself.

Another issue is that he said on his website that he served in the military until 2000 but the award lists dates of service going well in to 2001.

 

[Psychic Sleuth]

This was discussed in thread #4.

Interestingly the award has his name misspelled, contains no date of issue, and follows quite closely the wording of an example on the website armywriter.com.

However, a lot of these issues could be the result of sloppiness on the part of whoever it was that wrote up the award. The example could be a template issued by the Army itself.

Another issue is that he said on his website that he served in the military until 2000 but the award lists dates of service going well in to 2001.

Very interesting...

 

[LucyOso]

Good questions..but wouldn't the military issue his award in his legal name? (And why was it spelled incorrectly on the award? Did we ever figure that out?)

I have a question...is it possible Israel Keyes is either: in the victim protection program, FBI/DEA/ATF or an informant? There is so little out there on him. I am a couple of years older and I come up in many search engines. For example, I can find multiple links with my name over the years by the wonderful people who organize junior high (now middle school) and high school reunions. If he graduate around 1996, there should be some internet links on him. Unless, his life is fabricated. There is just enough information out there so he seems legitimate (ATF/DEA/Undercover). Or, if he is an informant given a new identity or in a protection program, there wouldn't be much either. If he was undercover or an informant, it would explain why he was so nonchalant when handcuffed. Perhaps, he is in custody to prevent people retaliating against him. Especially, if he is an agent…Just a thought. A warrant can be created and sealed. A military award can be created, but, usually they make sure everything is in order because it can jeopardize someones safety if there is a typo...

 

[cluciano63]

If he was born in another country, maybe he would not have the usual "trail". On the other hand, when bored, I have done some basic searches on people I used to know and have found absolutely nothing on them, though they certainly existed and were born in the US and I knew them as adults. So it is hard to just go by what is out there, sometimes. JMO

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

I must have missed that. How was it spelled on the award?

Refer to:

http://keyesconstruction.net/home

Ref 2

The Army Achievement Medal

Specialist Isreal Keyes

Note: Spelling should be Israel :waitasec:

 

[boaps]

That's not a completely impossible theory. Ie; The dead man at the scene wasn't Israel Keyes. You think someone else fitting a similar description would have been reported missing though ?

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/aug/15/montana-murder-victims-identified-as-former-nk/

Also it wouldn't be very smart to go on using the same name after that instead of a fake one would it?

 

[Redgoblin]

Refer to:

http://keyesconstruction.net/home

Ref 2

The Army Achievement Medal

Specialist Isreal Keyes

Note: Spelling should be Israel :waitasec:

It doesn't look like an official document to me, even tho it off center so it appears to be a scan but it doesn't look right the signature of his superior for instance is just a scanned sig and the emblems look fake (do the army issue generic ones like that?) , can anyone else clarify?

JMOO

 

[Deleted member 718]

Has anyone found any news today? I haven't found a thing! So odd.

I hope our Alaskan posters will report in if there is anything on the evening news.

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

He could have been born in Canada, but wouldn't he have had to gain American citizenship in order to serve in the US military?

I don't think a person has to be born in the US to serve in the military...in fact I have heard of this being an option for immigrants to be granted legal entrance into the US. And I have heard of others born in other countries enlisting to show support for the US. However, I need to look this up to be certain.
However, as is stated by one of our posters, IK's military award looks similar to those made on "create an award" type sites. And IF either is the case, then he may just be Canadian born.
JMO..MOO

 

[katydid23]

Also it wouldn't be very smart to go on using the same name after that instead of a fake one would it?

Good Point. lol

 

[LucyOso]

Not that its reliable, but the link to the comment on ktuu, said SK was asking for gas money, and I've often wondered if IK was using her card/s, and its over $1000, that seems a lot for an 18 year old who works at a coffee shop to have on hand, even credit cards, she had only been there three weeks and her job at Harley was last summer. I haven't heard,or read, anything about her working anywhere else in between, so she may have been unemployed for quite some time. I would think if she had a credit card there probably wouldn't be much available credit, or that much money in her bank account.

I don't know the correct terms, but I know building contractors get paid two ways. One way, is at the end of a job, especially if it is a house with a mortgage. The contractor will cover all costs, then get reimbursed, materials plus labor. Another fairly common way is to have an escrow or account or credit card available so the contractor can purchase building supplies as he/she goes. That way they do not incur building supplies costs. They sometimes are paid weekly or at the end of the job. Is it possible, he was using an account/escrow/etc for more than building supplies? Perhaps, to purchase supplies for his own home renovation? I posted a little earlier, but, I do wonder if there are internal reasons for protecting IK. I think his link to Sam may be more from an informant/undercover role and they are trying not to blow the original case (reason why he was there in the first place) and years of work? By the time he was arrested in Texas, his "handlers" stepped in and identified him. That is why it is hush-hush. And they need to protect him in prison...no one likes a agent or snitch. And by his arrest, perhaps, the pressure will be on others and someone may crack (not knowing if he is talking) or let down their guard. Often in an undercover case, there is a whole process to extricate someone from an investigation. Sometimes, it can take a few months for Bureaucrats to process paperwork to close a case. Often, innocent people get injured or killed in the process and the agent has to stay quiet. It wouldn't be to hard to have one of the people "paying him" for his "construction work" to nail him on a charge of access fraud. It is not unreasonable to get him to a wedding in another state to protect him, too...

Sam may just be a form of collateral damage...

 

[Psychic Sleuth]

Also it wouldn't be very smart to go on using the same name after that instead of a fake one would it?

True, but it would be a lot easier to alter just the birth year on a birth certificate than forge an entire new document. Both were born in Jan.

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

He could have been born in Canada, but wouldn't he have had to gain American citizenship in order to serve in the US military?

refer to:

http://www.army.mil/faq/

Q:Can non-US citizens join the Army?

A:Enlistment into any branch of the U.S. military, by citizens of countries other than the United States, is limited to those foreign nationals who are legally residing in the United States and possess a Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services Alien Registration Card (INS Form 1-151/551 - commonly known as a "Green Card"). Applicants must be between 17 and 35; meet the mental, moral, and physical standards for enlistment; and must speak, read and write English fluently......."

 

[Deleted member 718]

This was discussed in thread #4.

Interestingly the award has his name misspelled, contains no date of issue, and follows quite closely the wording of an example on the website armywriter.com.

However, a lot of these issues could be the result of sloppiness on the part of whoever it was that wrote up the award. The example could be a template issued by the Army itself.

Another issue is that he said on his website that he served in the military until 2000 but the award lists dates of service going well in to 2001.

I think I know the answer to the difference between his work dates and his military date. One can leave their military service, but still be officially in the military.

Read this, it explains it better than I can: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_(United_States_military)


"In the U.S. armed forces, separation means that a person is leaving active duty, but not necessarily leaving the service entirely. Separation typically occurs when someone reaches the date of their Expiration of Term of Service (ETS) and are released from active duty, but still must complete their military reserve obligations. Upon separation, they receive form DD214, which indicates their former and future status.
When a person completes their full military obligation, they are discharged and receive a formal certificate of discharge, usually an Honorable Discharge."

So he could have an overlap of work and military service. I think the certificate is legit. The award isn't that big of a deal. If he claimed a Purple Heart, then I'd wonder.