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NY Inmate Posed as Attorney to Escape Prison

By Cynthia Hsu, Esq. on July 26, 2011 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Ronald Tackman once escaped from custody two years ago in a not-so-legal but "legal" way: posing as an attorney, he managed to stroll straight out of the courthouse in Manhattan.

Tackman is now 57. His sentence for his crimes, including a string of robberies he committed, will be 28 years, reports the New York Post.

Tackman's courthouse escape was made when an officer accidentally left him alone and uncuffed in a courthouse hallway, according to the New York Post. Left by himself, Tackman pulled some black socks over his prison-issued orange loafers, and made his way down a floor.

He sat down outside a courthouse, whereupon someone told him that he shouldn't be sitting there. He then left. His freedom, however, was short-lived. He was caught two days later with a bag of goods that included fake mustaches and costume makeup, reports the New York Post.

Tackman has a long history of crime. He had spent 20 years in prison, reports Reuters. And, his flight from the courthouse, dressed as an attorney, wasn't the first time he had attempted escape. In another incident, he had actually carved a gun out of soap, using the fake weapon to gain control of a correctional bus. Several prisoners were released temporarily as a result.

Maybe his prior history is what led the judge to impose a 28-year sentence. When determining a sentence, a judge will usually look to a variety of different factors, one of which could be whether or not the prisoner has a history of committing crime. "First-time" offenders may get a lighter sentence than someone who has a long criminal history.

And, Ronald Tackman seems to have nothing short of a colorful criminal history. Posing as an attorney to escape from custody? Carving a gun out of a bar of soap? Maybe it's possible that if he hadn't been so creative and daring in his criminal activities, he would have faced a shorter sentence.

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