Thomas Randele, a man who had been on the run for over five decades as one of "America's Most Wanted" fugitives, made a shocking confession to his daughter on his deathbed.
Ashley Randele, his only daughter, initially thought it was one of her father's typical dad jokes. However, upon researching his real name, she discovered that he was indeed a fugitive, and the authorities were still searching for him. This revelation led Ashley to create a true-crime podcast called "Smoke Screen: My Fugitive Dad" on The Binge, where she delves into her father's past and how it affected their family and the community of Lynnfield, Massachusetts.
Ashley's main goal in creating the podcast was to share her father's story and show the world who he truly was. She wanted people to see him as more than just a criminal and understand his qualities as a loving father, husband, and friend. Ashley acknowledges that it was emotionally challenging to confront her father's past, but she believes that there was more to him than the bank robbery that made him a fugitive.
Despite her father's secret, Ashley had a wonderful childhood with two devoted parents who were always present in her life. They attended all her soccer games, school plays, and piano recitals. Her father would even tuck her in at night and wrote a lullaby specifically for her. Ashley emphasizes that her family was open and never kept secrets from each other. However, looking back, she recalls moments that didn't make sense at the time.
For example, her father declined the opportunity to chaperone a school trip to France, claiming he didn't have the travel bug. In another instance, he discouraged Ashley from participating in at-home DNA tests, stating that it felt weird to have her DNA in the hands of a company. These incidents now make sense to Ashley, as her father couldn't have gone to France due to his lack of a passport, and sending his DNA for testing could have revealed relatives he didn't want to be connected to.
In 2021, tragedy struck when Thomas Randele was diagnosed with aggressive lung cancer. He passed away less than two months later, leaving Ashley and her mother grieving his loss. Before his death, Randele decided to come clean about his past to his family while they were watching an episode of "NCIS." He felt it was necessary to reveal the truth before he died, fearing that his wife and daughter would be blindsided if the information ever came out.
Ashley was startled by her father's confession, but her subsequent research confirmed the truth. Her father's real name was Theodore John Conrad, and he had pulled off one of the biggest bank robberies in Cleveland's history. As a 20-year-old bank teller at the Society National Bank in Cleveland, Conrad walked out with a paper bag containing $215,000, equivalent to over $1.7 million in today's dollars. The theft went undiscovered for several days, and Conrad disappeared without a trace. The case gained attention on shows like "America's Most Wanted" and "Unsolved Mysteries," but investigators were unable to locate Conrad.
According to authorities, Conrad had been inspired by the 1968 film "The Thomas Crown Affair," which depicted a bank robbery for sport by a millionaire businessman. Conrad had expressed to friends that he believed robbing the bank would be easy. However, Ashley's podcast reveals that there was more to Conrad's motive. He wanted to start over and leave his difficult family circumstances behind. The money was a means to achieve this fresh start. Conrad had even checked how easy it would be to obtain a new Social Security card, which was relatively simple in 1969. The lax security at the bank allowed him to invite his girlfriend and her friend into the vault, where they casually held stacks of money.
While Ashley and her mother were grieving their loss and contemplating when to go to the authorities, a true-crime writer in Cleveland came across Randele's obituary. The writer forwarded it to Peter Elliott, the U.S. Marshal for Northern Ohio, who had been searching for Conrad for years. Elliott's father, a former U.S. Marshal in Cleveland, had also been involved in the search for Conrad. Elliott used documents his father had uncovered from Conrad's college days to confirm his identity. The timing of the discovery was bittersweet, as Ashley's father had been gone for six months. Elliott's visit to Ashley's home was not about arresting anyone but about understanding how someone could disappear and live a full life in plain sight.
Ashley and her family now have an unexpected friendship with Elliott. As for the stolen money, it appears that her father used it to live a comfortable life in a penthouse in Boston. However, by the time he met Ashley's mother in the late '70s, the money was gone, and he was working a regular job. Ashley emphasizes that they never lived a fancy life and always drove used cars. She recalls being amazed by friends who had a refrigerator with a water and ice dispenser, considering it a luxury.
Through her podcast, Ashley hopes to shed light on who her father truly was. She wants the world to see him as a person who is still missed by those who knew him and to understand his complexity beyond his criminal past. The podcast aims to provide a glimpse into the life of Tom Randele and the impact his actions had on his family and community.
The creation of "Smoke Screen: My Fugitive Dad" has allowed Ashley to share her father's story and provide closure for herself and her family. While there are still unanswered questions, such as how the true-crime writer connected the dots, Ashley accepts that some mysteries may never be solved. She appreciates the support of the U.S. Marshals and hopes that her podcast will help set the record straight about her father's character and show the world how special he was.
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