Otero County Resident Lived Decades on Stolen Identity Apprehended by Feds

For decades Stephen Craig Campbell lived in Otero County under an assumed identity. Campbell was civically engaged, spoke at County Commission meetings and lived out and about under an assumed identity.

The Department of Justice released information on a multiagency investigation that led to an arrest of Stephen Craig Campbell of Weed, Otero County, New Mexico

In documents assetained by AlamogordoTownNews.org via a reader's tip the US Marshalls Service of District of Wyoming been seeking information on Otero County resident Stephen Craig Campbell.

Stephen Craig Campbell evaded authorities for more than four decades after a 1982 bombing in Wyoming. He has finally been captured in Otero County, New Mexico.

According to the Sweetwater County Wyoming Sheriff's Office, and confirmed via a DOJ release, Stephen Craig Campbell, 76, was arrested on Feb. 19, 2025 at a remote property in Weed, New Mexico. Campbell had been wanted since 1982 on an attempted first-degree murder charge in Sweetwater County. Campbell had been wanted since 1982 on an attempted first-degree murder charge in Sweetwater County. For over 40 years, he remained a ghost but know by locals under an assumed name evading law enforcement, collecting government benefits, and living until investigators recently uncovered his whereabouts.

Authorities say Campbell planted a booby-trapped toolbox rigged with explosives outside the home of his estranged wife’s boyfriend in 1982. His ex-wife was not the intended target, but when she opened the container, a powerful explosion tore off one of her fingers and sent shrapnel flying. The blast also ignited a fire, destroying the residence and a neighboring unit.

Campbell was arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder but was released on bond in 1982. Immediately after posting bail, he vanished. A warrant was issued, but he disappeared without a trace, slipping into a new identity and avoiding capture for decades.

According to documents released to the press, Campbell assumed the name of Walter Lee Coffman, a former classmate who died in 1975 and built an entirely new life under that stolen identity in Otero County, New Mexico. 

Using Coffman’s name, Campbell obtained multiple U.S. passports and a Social Security card and even purchased property in Weed, Otero County New Mexico. Investigators say he fraudulently collected approximately $140,000 in Social Security benefits while posing as Coffman. This deception kept him off law enforcement’s radar, even though he remained on the U.S. Marshals’ Most Wanted list for nearly half a century.

Campbell’s freedom and luck ran out after a renewed investigation by local and federal authorities uncovered and confirmed his alias and location. On Feb. 19, 2025, after 4 decades, a coalition of agencies including the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, Social Security investigators and the Otero County Sheriff's Department acted on the apprehension. 

An investigation has taken years to unravel and heated up in September 2019, wh Campbell visited the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Department in Cloudcroft, presenting fraudulent documents to renew his driver's license. He submitted a previously issued New Mexico driver's license with his photograph bearing the name "Walter L Coffman," Coffman's birthdate, and a Weed, New Mexico address. Campbell also provided a Social Security card and a U.S. passport, both in Coffman's name.

After a renewed New Mexico license was issued to Campbell under Coffman's name, agents from the National Passport Center's Fraud Prevention Unit discovered Coffman's death and the suspected multiple decades long fraudulent use of his identity.

The resulting investigation revealed that Campbell allegedly applied for and was awarded Social Security Title II Retirement Insurance Benefits under Coffman's identity. As a result of the alleged scheme, Campbell is suspected of receiving approximately $140,000 in U.S. government funds administered by the Social Security Administration in Coffman's name.

Investigators uncovered that Campbell was arrested in Wyoming in 1982 for attempted first degree murder. He allegedly planted an explosive device at the doorstep of his estranged wife's boyfriend. When his wife opened the toolbox containing the bomb, it exploded, causing her to lose a finger and suffer other injuries. The blast also set fire to the residence and a neighboring unit. Campbell was reportedly released on bond in 1983 but failed to appear in court, resulting in an active warrant for Attempted First Degree Murder.

Locally  investigators, and the Otero County Sheriff’s Office in a multiagency collaboration moved in to arrest him at his 44-acre compound in the mountains the Lincoln National Forest near Weed, Otero County, New Mexico. 

According to sources multiple agency officers arrived, helicopters flew overhead and Campbell met them armed with a high-powered rifle, taking up a concealed, elevated position. He initially refused to surrender, prompting officers to deploy flashbang stun devices, helicopters ans other tactical vehicles with a multiagency raid of the property in Weed, New Mexico. After multiple commands and tactical maneuvers, he finally emerged from the wooded hideout and was taken into custody without shots fired.

Authorities secured Campbell’s rifle  loaded with armor-piercing ammunition and a round chambered. A search of the property uncovered 57 firearms and large quantities of ammunition, underscoring the danger officers faced during the arrest.

Sweetwater County, Wyoming Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Jason Mower reflected on the significance of Campbell’s capture, noting how the case had remained a constant presence in the department for years.

“Campbell’s wanted poster has been on the wall at our office since I started here nearly 20 years ago. I’ve worked hundreds of fugitive cases, helping track down and capture fugitives all across the country. But never Campbell — every lead went cold, no matter what tools we used. Now, I finally understand why.”

Undersheriff Joe Tomich emphasized the scale of the case, from its violent origins to the decadeslong search and dramatic resolution.

“It’s almost hard to wrap your head around this case — the cold and calculated nature of the original crime, the decades of searching, and then, after all this time, a tense standoff in the mountains of New Mexico. We’ve all taken our turns trying to catch Campbell. I have a case file on him the size of a novel, filled with leads that went nowhere. But we never gave up, and now we finally know why he was always one step ahead.”

Sheriff John Grossnickle recognized the case’s historic nature and the teamwork required to bring Campbell to justice.

“This is one of the most significant and dramatic fugitive cases in Wyoming law enforcement history. We’re grateful to have played a role in a massive team effort, and I want to thank our federal partners for their persistence and collaboration over the years. I also want to thank the local community for its support and trust as we work to bring Campbell back to Wyoming to face justice.”

Campbell appeared in federal court earlier Wednesday in New Mexico on fraud charges related to using a stolen identity. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison before extradition to Wyoming to stand trial for the 1982 bombing.

The Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office has placed a detainer to ensure he is returned to Wyoming once federal proceedings conclude.

Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin, Special Agent in Charge of the SSA OIG Jason Albers and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement.

This case was co-investigated by the Las Cruces Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office and the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General. It was originally initiated by the Diplomatic Security’s El Paso Resident Office and the National Passport Center’s Fraud Prevention Unit. Enforcement assistance was provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, as well as the Otero County Sheriff's Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Clara Nevarez Cobos.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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