You do not have permission to edit this page, for the following reasons:

This IP address has been blocked from editing Wikipedia.
This does not affect your ability to read Wikipedia pages.
Most people who see this message have done nothing wrong. Some kinds of blocks restrict editing from specific service providers or telecom companies in response to recent abuse or vandalism, and can sometimes affect other users who are unrelated to that abuse. Review the information below for assistance if you do not believe that you have done anything wrong.

The IP address or range 44.203.0.0/16 has been blocked (disabled) by ‪ST47‬ for the following reason(s):

The IP address that you are currently using has been blocked because it is believed to be a web host provider. To prevent abuse, web hosts may be blocked from editing Wikipedia.
You will not be able to edit Wikipedia using a web host provider because it hides your IP address, much like a proxy or VPN.
We recommend that you attempt to use another connection to edit. For example, if you use a proxy or VPN to connect to the internet, turn it off when editing Wikipedia. If you edit using a mobile connection, try using a Wi-Fi connection, and vice versa. If you are using a corporate internet connection, switch to a different Wi-Fi network. If you have a Wikipedia account, please log in.
If you do not have any other way to edit Wikipedia, you will need to request an IP block exemption.

How to appeal if you are confident that your connection does not use a web host's IP address:
If you are confident that you are not using a web host, you may appeal this block by adding the following text on your talk page: ((unblock|reason=Caught by a web host block but this host or IP is not a web host. My IP address is _______. Place any further information here. ~~~~)). You must fill in the blank with your IP address for this block to be investigated. Your IP address can be determined here. Alternatively, if you wish to keep your IP address private you can use the unblock ticket request system. There are several reasons you might be editing using the IP address of a web host (such as if you are using VPN software or a business network); please use this method of appeal only if you think your IP address is in fact not a web host.

Administrators: The IP block exemption user right should only be applied to allow users to edit using web host in exceptional circumstances, and they should usually be directed to the functionaries team via email. If you intend to give the IPBE user right, a CheckUser needs to take a look at the account. This can be requested most easily at SPI Quick Checkuser Requests. Unblocking an IP or IP range with this template is highly discouraged without at least contacting the blocking administrator.

This block will expire on 23:54, 31 July 2024.

Even when blocked, you will usually still be able to edit your user talk page, as well as email administrators and other editors.

For information on how to proceed, please read the FAQ for blocked users and the guideline on block appeals. The guide to appealing blocks may also be helpful.

Other useful links: Blocking policy · Help:I have been blocked
Your IP address is in a range that has been blocked on all Wikimedia Foundation wikis. The block was made by ‪AntiCompositeNumber‬. The reason given is Open proxy/Webhost: Visit the FAQ if you are affected .
- Start of block: 13:55, 18 August 2022
- Expiry of block: 13:55, 18 July 2025
Your current IP address is 44.203.232.145. The blocked range is 44.203.0.0/16. Please include all above details in any queries you make. If you believe you were blocked by mistake, you can find additional information and instructions in the No open proxies global policy. Otherwise, to discuss the block please post a request for review on Meta-Wiki. You could also send an email to the stewards VRT queue at stewards@wikimedia.org including all above details.

You can view and copy the source of this page:

((Use American English|date=October 2022))
((Short description|American bank robber and con man (1926–1998)))
((Use mdy dates|date=October 2022))
((Infobox criminal
| name = Benjamin Hoskins Paddock
| image_name = Benjamin Hoskins Paddock.jpg
| caption = Paddock ((circa|1969))
| other_names = Bruce Werner Ericksen<ref name=Bernstein />
| birth_date = November 1, 1926
| birth_place = [[Sheboygan, Wisconsin]], U.S.
| death_date = ((Death date and age|1998|01|18|1926|11|01))
| death_place = [[Arlington, Texas]], U.S.
| resting_place = [[Fort Gibson National Cemetery]], Oklahoma, U.S.
| birth_name = Benjamin Hoskins Paddock Jr.
| spouse = ((marriage|Dolores Irene Hudson|1952))
| children = 4, including [[Stephen Paddock|Stephen]]
))

'''Benjamin Hoskins Paddock Jr.''' (November 1, 1926&nbsp;– January 18, 1998) was an American bank robber and con man who was on the [[FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives]] list from 1969 to 1977.<ref name="Inc1971">((cite book|author=Time Inc|title=Life|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MkAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA42|date=April 9, 1971|page=42))</ref><ref name="norman2017">((cite news |last=Norman |first=Greg |date=October 2, 2017 |title=Las Vegas shooter's father, 'Bingo Bruce,' lived a colorful life of crime and deception |url=http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/10/02/las-vegas-shooters-father-bingo-bruce-lived-colorful-life-crime-and-deception.html |work=[[Fox News]] |access-date= October 6, 2017))</ref><ref>((cite news |date=September 15, 1978 |title=Prison Escapee to Stand Trial on Bank Charge |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1310&dat=19780915&id=w_lVAAAAIBAJ&pg=2278,4163503 |work=[[The Register-Guard]] (Eugene, Oregon) |access-date=  October 6, 2017))</ref><ref>((cite news |last=Brown |first=Elizabeth Nolan |date=October 2, 2017 |title=Vegas Shooter's Dad, Patrick Benjamin Paddock, Was a Convicted Bank Robber Who Escaped Federal Prison, Tried to Run Down FBI Agents With His Car |url=http://reason.com/blog/2017/10/02/patrick-benjamin-paddock-vegas-shooters |work=[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]] |access-date= October 6, 2017))</ref> He was the father of mass murderer [[Stephen Paddock]], the perpetrator of the [[2017 Las Vegas shooting]].

== Early life ==
Paddock was born at St. Nicholas Hospital<ref>((cite web|url=http://www.mostwanted.net/blog/most-wanted/las-vegas-gunmans-father-was-on-fbis-most-wanted-list-appsforpcdaily/|title=Las Vegas Gunman's Father Was On FBI's Most Wanted List – APPSFORPCDAILY|publisher=The World Most Wanted Network|date=October 7, 2017))</ref> in [[Sheboygan, Wisconsin]] on November 1, 1926,<ref name="ShinerGazette1972">((cite news|title=Benjamin Hoskins Paddock|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14160266/benjamin_hoskins_paddock_shiner|access-date=October 3, 2017|work=Shiner Gazette|date=March 2, 1972|location=Shiner, Texas|page=3))</ref>((refn|group=nb|Various years are given for his birth date. His gravestone gives 1920.<ref name="NationwideGravesiteLocator" /> His Social Security application uses "1 November 1925" and his Veterans Affairs record uses "1 November 1926".<ref>Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, US: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. [http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?_phsrc=DNI1050&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&gss=angs-g&new=1&rank=1&msT=1&gsfn=Benjamin%20Hoskins&gsfn_x=0&gsln=Paddock&gsln_x=0&cp=0&catbucket=rstp&MSAV=1&uidh=7q6&pcat=ROOT_CATEGORY&h=39730895&dbid=60901&indiv=1&ml_rpos=4]</ref> The 1930 census lists him as 3 years old on April 19, 1930. If he was born in 1926 he would have been 3 years, 5 months, 18 days old on April 19, 1930.<ref>"United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X9QH-WPD : accessed October 4, 2017), Benjamin Paddoch Jr. in household of Ben H Paddoch, Superior, Douglas, Wisconsin, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 36, sheet 24B, line 98, family 579, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 2570; FHL microfilm 2,342,304.</ref>)) the son of Benjamin Hoskins Paddock Sr. and Olga Emelia Elizabeth Paddock (née Gunderson).<ref name="Rosenberg-Douglas2017" /> He served in the [[United States Navy]] as an S2 (Seaman Second Class) during [[World War II]].<ref name="NationwideGravesiteLocator">National Cemetery Administration, Nationwide Gravesite Locator, https://gravelocator.cem.va.gov</ref>

In the 1950s in [[Tucson, Arizona]], he operated a service station where he sold used cars. He later sold [[garbage disposal unit]]s under the name of Arizona Disposer Company and was connected with the operation of a nightclub in Tucson. In the late 1950s, Paddock volunteered with the [[Pima County, Arizona|Pima County]] Juvenile Probation Department and in 1959 was named special deputy to handle cases of wayward youths.<ref name="ArizonaRepublic1978" />

== Criminal career ==
In 1946, Paddock was convicted of ten counts of [[Property crime#Motor vehicle theft|auto larceny]] and five counts of [[confidence trick|confidence game]] and was confined at the [[Stateville Correctional Center|Illinois State Penitentiary]] until July 1951. In 1953, he was convicted of conspiracy in connection with a bad check passing operation and was again held at the Illinois State Penitentiary until August 1956.<ref>((cite news|title=Escapee Joins FBI List |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14160430/escapee_joins_fbi_list_the_daily/ |access-date=October 3, 2017|work=The Daily Standard|date=June 18, 1969|location=Sikeston, Missouri|page=20))</ref> In one of his early arrests, he was found with a concealed [[revolver]].<ref name="ShinerGazette1972" />

He was accused of robbing branches of the [[Valley National Bank of Arizona]] in [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] of $11,210  ($((formatprice|((Inflation|US|11210|1959)))) in ((Inflation-year|US)) dollars((inflation-fn|US))) on February 19, 1959, and of $9,285  ($((formatprice|((Inflation|US|9285|1960)))) in ((Inflation-year|US)) dollars((inflation-fn|US))) on January 29, 1960.<ref>((cite news|title=[No Headline]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14160500/no_headline_arizona_republic/|access-date=October 3, 2017|work=Arizona Republic|date=October 6, 1960|location=Phoenix, Arizona|page=21))</ref> He robbed another branch of $4,620  ($((formatprice|((Inflation|US|4620|1960)))) in ((Inflation-year|US)) dollars((inflation-fn|US))) on July 26, 1960. He was captured and then convicted for the third robbery in federal court in January 1961. During his arrest, he attempted to run down an FBI agent with his car. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. On December 30, 1968, Paddock escaped from the [[Federal Correctional Institution, La Tuna]] in [[Anthony, Texas]].<ref name="ShinerGazette1972" /><ref name="ArizonaRepublic1978" /> A warrant for his arrest relating to his escape was issued on February 3, 1969, and he was placed on the FBI Ten Most Wanted list.<ref name="ShinerGazette1972" />

Most individuals who have been on the FBI Ten Most Wanted list are off the list in less than six months. ((Citation needed|date=October 2023)) Paddock was among those who were on the list the longest, being placed on the list on June 10, 1969, and removed on May 5, 1977.<ref>((cite news|last1=Wallace|first1=Amy|last2=Wallenchinsky|first2=David|title=Most Wanted by the FBI|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14160036/|access-date=October 3, 2017|work=Statesman Journal|date=August 25, 1990|location=Salem, Oregon|page=13))</ref> While on the most wanted list, he was described as being ((height|feet=6|inches=4)) tall, weighing ((convert|245|lb|kg)), having blond hair, but being balding and frequently shaved. He had green eyes and wore contact lenses or glasses. He also had a scar above his right eyebrow and on his right knee and had a birthmark on his left ankle. He was described as a smooth talker, as arrogant and egotistical, liking cigars, cigarettes, and steaks. He also played bridge, enjoyed gambling, and watching sports, particularly baseball, for which he also worked as an umpire.<ref name="ShinerGazette1972" /> During his criminal career, Paddock had numerous aliases, including Perry Archer, Benjamin J. Butler, Leo Genstein, Pat Paddock, and Patrick Benjamin Paddock.<ref name="TucsonDailyCitizen1971">((cite news|title=Ex-Tucsonian Makes FBI List of 10 Most Wanted|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14160379/|access-date=October 3, 2017|work=Tucson Daily Citizen|date=April 27, 1971|location=Tucson, Arizona|page=16))</ref> His nicknames included "Chromedome", "Old Baldy", and "Big Daddy".<ref>((cite news|title=Wanted, Tucson Daily Citizen|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14160226/wanted_tucson_daily_citizen_tucson/|access-date=October 3, 2017|date=December 27, 1975|location=Tucson, Arizona|page=28))</ref>

After escaping prison in 1968, Paddock moved to Oregon where he took the name Bruce Warner Erickson. In Oregon, he worked as a contract trucker and in drug abuse rehabilitation. He was twice cited for traffic violations and in September 1977 he applied for and was granted a license to open a [[Bingo (U.S.)|bingo parlor]], but his identity was not uncovered. He then operated a bingo parlor for the Center for Education Reform, a non-profit organization based in [[Eugene, Oregon]].

He was captured and arrested in early September 1978 in [[Springfield, Oregon]], and was eventually released on parole.<ref name=ArizonaRepublic1978>((cite news|title=10-year Fugitive Jailed in Oregon|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14160106/10year_fugitive_jailed_in_oregon/|access-date=October 3, 2017|work=Arizona Republic|date=September 9, 1978|location=Phoenix, Arizona|page=3))</ref>

In 1987, he was charged by the [[Oregon Attorney General]] with racketeering related to his bingo business and fraud for an illegal business he ran rolling back car odometers, but avoided a prison sentence by paying a $100,000 fine ($((formatprice|((Inflation|US|100000|1987)))) in ((Inflation-year|US)) dollars((inflation-fn|US))).<ref name=Bernstein>((Cite news |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/today/index.ssf/2017/10/las_vegas_shooting_suspects_da.html |title=Las Vegas shooter's dad, on FBI's Most Wanted list, was arrested in Oregon in '78 |last=Bernstein |first=Maxine |date=October 1, 2017 |work=[[OregonLive.com]] |access-date=October 3, 2017 |language=en-US))</ref> Later in life, his involvement in bingo earned him the nickname, Bingo Bruce. During the last decade of his life, he lived quietly in Texas where he co-owned a car shop with his girlfriend.

== Personal life and death ==

Paddock married Dolores Irene Hudson (born January 10, 1928) in 1952, and they had four sons, [[Stephen Paddock|Stephen]] (1953–2017), Patrick (born ((circa|1957))), Bruce (1959–2020), and Eric (born 1960).<ref>((cite web|url=http://reason.com/blog/2017/10/02/patrick-benjamin-paddock-vegas-shooters|title=Vegas Shooter's Dad, Patrick Benjamin Paddock, Was a Convicted Bank Robber Who Escaped Federal Prison, Tried to Run Down FBI Agents With His Car|date=October 2, 2017))</ref><ref>Two articles under the joint headline, ''Part of Paddock's Respectability'', Paddock Held Under Bond for US Court, Tucson Daily Citizen (Tucson, Arizona), July 29, 1960, page 4 and Thompson, Tommy, Big Daddy Made Big Impact Here, Tucson Daily Citizen (Tucson, Arizona), July 29, 1960, page 4, both accessed October 3, 2017, at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14160558/</ref>

He died of a [[Myocardial infarction|heart attack]] on January 18, 1998, in [[Arlington, Texas]].<ref name="NationwideGravesiteLocator" /><ref name="Rosenberg-Douglas2017">((Cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-las-vegas-shooter-family-from-chicago-20171003-story.html|title=Father of Las Vegas shooter lived in Chicago, where he did time and started a family|last=Rosenberg-Douglas|first=Katherine|work=Chicago Tribune|date=October 3, 2017))</ref> He's buried at the [[Fort Gibson National Cemetery]] in [[Fort Gibson, Oklahoma]].

His eldest son [[Stephen Paddock|Stephen]] was the perpetrator of the [[2017 Las Vegas shooting]], the deadliest [[mass shooting]] by a lone gunman in North American history. Stephen was seven at the time of his father's arrest in the summer of 1960. "We didn't grow up under his influence," said his brother Eric. Their mother told them at the time that their father was dead.<ref name="Kirby/Hartmann">((cite news |title=What We Know About Las Vegas Gunman Stephen Paddock |first1=Jen |last1=Kirby |first2=Margaret |last2=Hartmann |publisher=Daily Intelligencer |date=October 5, 2017 |url=https://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/10/what-we-know-about-las-vegas-gunman-stephen-paddock.html))</ref>

Another son, Bruce, was arrested in North Hollywood on charges of possessing over 600 child pornography images.<ref>((Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/vegas-gunman-stephen-paddock-s-brother-custody-child-porn-probe-n811461|title=Vegas Gunman Stephen Paddock's Brother Arrested in Child Porn Probe|work=NBC News|date=October 26, 2017))</ref><ref>((Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.nl/bruce-paddock-las-vegas-shooter-brother-arrested-suspicion-child-pornography-2017-10/?international=true&r=US|title=A brother of the Las Vegas shooter has been arrested on child pornography charges|website=www.businessinsider.com|date=October 25, 2017))</ref> The charges were dropped in May 2018.<ref>((Cite web|last=Tchekmedyian  |first=Alene  |date=July 6, 2018|title=Child pornography charges against brother of Las Vegas gunman dropped|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-bruce-paddock-20180705-story.html|access-date=June 24, 2020|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US))</ref>

== Notes ==
((reflist|group=nb))

== References ==
((reflist|30em))

((DEFAULTSORT:Paddock, Benjamin Hoskins))
[[Category:1926 births]]
[[Category:1998 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American criminals]]
[[Category:American bank robbers]]
[[Category:American confidence tricksters]]
[[Category:American escapees]]
[[Category:United States Navy personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:American prisoners and detainees]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Tucson, Arizona]]
[[Category:Criminals from Wisconsin]]
[[Category:FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Wisconsin]]
[[Category:People from Sheboygan, Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Prisoners and detainees of Illinois]]
[[Category:Prisoners and detainees of the United States federal government]]
[[Category:2017 Las Vegas shooting]]
[[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]]

Pages transcluded onto the current version of this page (help):

Benjamin Hoskins Paddock (edit)
Template:Abbr (view source) (protected)
Template:Br separated entries (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Category handler (view source) (protected)
Template:Circa (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Citation needed (view source) (protected)
Template:Cite book (view source) (protected)
Template:Cite news (view source) (protected)
Template:Cite web (view source) (protected)
Template:Convert (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Count (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:DMCA (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Dated maintenance category (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Dated maintenance category (articles) (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Death date and age (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Delink (view source) (protected)
Template:FULLROOTPAGENAME (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Fix (view source) (protected)
Template:Fix/category (view source) (protected)
Template:Format price (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Format price/digits (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Formatprice (view source) (protected)
Template:Height (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:If both (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:If empty (view source) (protected)
Template:In string (view source) (protected)
Template:Inflation (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Inflation-fn (view source) (extended confirmed protected)
Template:Inflation-year (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Inflation/US (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Inflation/US/dataset (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Inflation/US/startyear (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Inflation/fn (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Inflation/year (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Infobox (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Infobox criminal (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Infobox person (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Isnumeric (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Main other (view source) (protected)
Template:Marriage (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Marriage/doc (edit)
Template:Marriage/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Ns has subpages (view source) (protected)
Template:PAGENAMEBASE (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Pagetype (view source) (protected)
Template:Plainlist/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Template:Pluralize from text (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Reflist (view source) (protected)
Template:Reflist/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Template:Refn (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:SDcat (view source) (protected)
Template:Short description (view source) (protected)
Template:Short description/lowercasecheck (view source) (protected)
Template:Str ≥ len (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Template other (view source) (protected)
Template:Trim (view source) (protected)
Template:Unbulleted list (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Use American English (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Use mdy dates (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Wikidata image (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:YEAR (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Age (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Arguments (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/blacklist (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/data (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/shared (view source) (protected)
Module:Check for clobbered parameters (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Check for unknown parameters (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1 (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/COinS (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Date validation (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Whitelist (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Module:Convert (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Convert/data (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Convert/text (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Date (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Delink (view source) (protected)
Module:Detect singular (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Disambiguation/templates (view source) (protected)
Module:If empty (view source) (protected)
Module:If preview (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:If preview/configuration (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:If preview/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Infobox (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Infobox/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:InfoboxImage (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:List (view source) (protected)
Module:Math (view source) (protected)
Module:Namespace detect/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Namespace detect/data (view source) (protected)
Module:Ns has subpages (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/disambiguation (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/setindex (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/softredirect (view source) (protected)
Module:ParameterCount (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Parameter validation (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Parameter validation/default config (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:SDcat (view source) (protected)
Module:Separated entries (view source) (protected)
Module:String (view source) (protected)
Module:TableTools (view source) (protected)
Module:Template wrapper (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Text (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Unsubst (view source) (protected)
Module:Wikitext Parsing (view source) (protected)
Module:Yesno (view source) (protected)

Return to Benjamin Hoskins Paddock.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Hoskins_Paddock"