Copyright escape

The annals of bizarre attempts to escape from prison have a new, and magnificently stupid, entry. Four federal inmates are accused of trying to escape from jail using copyright law.

The four were indicted Tuesday on allegations that they copyrighted their names, then demanded millions of dollars from prison officials for using the names without authorization.

The indictment alleges that inmates Russell Dean Landers, Clayton Heath Albers, Carl Ervin Batts and Barry Dean Bischof sent demand notices for payment to the warden of the El Reno federal prison and filed liens against his property. They then hired someone to seize his vehicles, freeze his bank accounts and change the locks on his house.

Then, believing the warden's property had been seized, the inmates said they would not return his property unless they were released from prison, according to the indictment.

It was at this point that the plan hit one of its many snags - the person hired by the inmates turned out to be an undercover FBI agent, according to U.S. Attorney John C. Richter.

Another slight snag in the (otherwise excellent) plan is the fact that copyright law really doesn't work like that.

The four men, along with 50-year-old William Michael Roberson of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, were indicted on accusations of conspiring to impede the duties of federal prison officials, Richter said. Roberson is accused of assisting the four inmates in the scheme, which allegedly took place in late 2003 and early 2004.

All five were also indicted on charges of mailing threatening communications with the intent to extort.

The conspiracy count carries a maximum penalty of six years in prison and a £122,000 ($250,000) fine. The mail charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and another $250,000 fine.