The Eddie Lampert kidnapping took place on the night of January 10, 2003, when four armed men seized the hedge fund billionaire in the parking garage of his Greenwich, Connecticut office, drove him to a motel near New Haven, and held him for roughly 28 hours before releasing him unharmed. No ransom was paid. All four kidnappers were arrested within days, largely because they used Lampert’s credit cards during the ordeal.
How the Abduction Happened
At about 7:30 p.m. on a Friday, Lampert was leaving the offices of ESL Investments, the hedge fund he founded in 1988, when four men armed with a shotgun and an air gun confronted him in an underground parking garage in downtown Greenwich.1CBS News. Cops Hunt Millionaire Kidnap Ringleader They shoved him into a rented black Ford Expedition, blindfolded and handcuffed him, and drove about 55 miles to a Days Inn in Hamden, Connecticut.2Vanity Fair. The Devil to Pay
Lampert was, at that moment, one of the wealthiest people in the state. Forbes ranked him second-richest in Connecticut, with a fortune above $800 million, and ESL managed roughly $5 billion in assets. The abduction fell on the Friday before the final week of the Kmart bankruptcy reorganization he was orchestrating.3Vanity Fair. The Strange Odyssey of Hedge Fund King Eddie Lampert
Who Planned It
The ringleader was Renaldo Rose, a 24-year-old former Marine from New Haven. Rose had spent months on the plan. He searched the internet for wealthy Connecticut and Massachusetts targets, focusing on CEOs, and compiled a list that FBI agents later found in his apartment along with a notebook outlining the operation and photographs of Lampert.4New Haven Register. New Haven Man Guilty in Kidnap of Billionaire He surveilled Lampert in Greenwich for several weeks beforehand.1CBS News. Cops Hunt Millionaire Kidnap Ringleader
Rose bought a bulletproof vest, walkie-talkies, ski masks, and plastic handcuffs online. He rented cars in his own name and switched the plates. His three accomplices were Shemone Gordon, 23, of New Haven; Devon Harris, 19, of West Haven; and Lorenzo Jones, 17. Two of the adult suspects had drug convictions and were on probation. As a rehearsal, the group robbed a UPS truck on Christmas Eve 2002.4New Haven Register. New Haven Man Guilty in Kidnap of Billionaire
The 28 Hours in Captivity
Lampert was held blindfolded and handcuffed in the bathroom of the motel room. His captors told him they had been hired to kill him for $1 million over a business deal, then offered him the chance to “buy his own life.”4New Haven Register. New Haven Man Guilty in Kidnap of Billionaire Rose later said his partners also taunted Lampert with the shotgun and claimed AutoZone officials had put a $3 million bounty on him, a story Rose called a fabrication by his accomplices.2Vanity Fair. The Devil to Pay
Lampert spent hours talking with his kidnappers and working to build rapport. He and two of the captors eventually agreed on a $5 million ransom.5Vanity Fair. The Strange Odyssey of Hedge Fund King Eddie Lampert At another point, they settled on $40,000, which Lampert said he would leave in a garbage can outside a Wendy’s in Greenwich. That payment was never made.4New Haven Register. New Haven Man Guilty in Kidnap of Billionaire To prove they had him, the kidnappers called a family member’s cell phone and played a tape recording of his voice.1CBS News. Cops Hunt Millionaire Kidnap Ringleader
Then came the mistake that ended it. Against Rose’s instructions, his accomplices used Lampert’s credit cards to buy about $800 in electronics and to order a pizza delivered to the motel. The transactions gave investigators an immediate trail.6Vanity Fair. The Strange Odyssey of Hedge Fund King Eddie Lampert
How He Got Free
According to Rose, the credit card activity made clear that police were closing in, and he decided the operation had become a “hopeless caper.” He let Lampert go rather than escalate.6Vanity Fair. The Strange Odyssey of Hedge Fund King Eddie Lampert Around 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, January 12, Rose drove Lampert back to Greenwich and dropped him at a highway off-ramp less than half a mile from the Greenwich Police Department. Lampert walked to the station and reported the crime. He had been held for roughly 28 hours, emerged physically unharmed, and had lost no money.7Los Angeles Times. Kidnapping of Hedge Fund Manager
The Arrests
The FBI and Greenwich police had already zeroed in on the suspects by the time Lampert walked out, thanks to the credit card trail.1CBS News. Cops Hunt Millionaire Kidnap Ringleader That same night, January 12, agents raided the Hamden motel and arrested Gordon, Harris, and Jones. They recovered the shotgun, seven shotgun rounds, a mask, handcuffs, and a microcassette recorder.7Los Angeles Times. Kidnapping of Hedge Fund Manager
Rose fled but was captured in Canada on January 18, 2003. He appeared in federal court in Buffalo and agreed to return to Connecticut.7Los Angeles Times. Kidnapping of Hedge Fund Manager A search of his Hamden apartment turned up the planning notebook, the target list, and an un-deleted internet history documenting his research on wealthy individuals.4New Haven Register. New Haven Man Guilty in Kidnap of Billionaire
What Each Kidnapper Got
All four defendants pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Connecticut. Rose pleaded guilty on January 27, 2004, to conspiracy, extortion, and robbery, and was sentenced to more than 15 years in federal prison.8Post-Bulletin. Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Kidnapping Billionaire As a Jamaican citizen, he faced deportation when his sentence ended.4New Haven Register. New Haven Man Guilty in Kidnap of Billionaire Shemone Gordon pleaded guilty in March 2004 to conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce and related charges, drawing nine years in federal prison and three years of supervised release. Devon Harris and Lorenzo Jones also pleaded guilty and were awaiting sentencing as of mid-2004.9Hartford Courant. Prison Term for Kidnapper
U.S. Attorney Kevin J. O’Connor called the physical evidence “extremely strong,” pointing to Rose’s internet history, the planning notebook, and the UPS robbery evidence as the core of the case.4New Haven Register. New Haven Man Guilty in Kidnap of Billionaire
Rose’s Later Account
Rose was released from prison in July 2016 and deported to Jamaica, where Vanity Fair tracked him down in 2018 running a mobile tattoo studio.2Vanity Fair. The Devil to Pay He told the magazine he had considered killing Lampert and his own accomplices to eliminate witnesses, but kept his word to release Lampert because the hedge fund manager “never gave any problems.”5Vanity Fair. The Strange Odyssey of Hedge Fund King Eddie Lampert Rose also alleged that Lampert, during captivity, discussed the pending Kmart deal and called the retailer a “piggy bank” being used by the “Mob or Mafia.” A spokesperson for Lampert denied he ever said that.
How It Changed Lampert
Lampert closed the Kmart deal the following week and continued building what became Sears Holdings. The kidnapping’s most visible mark on him is personal: friends and observers have long attributed his extreme reluctance to appear in public or speak to the press to the 2003 ordeal. In the 2018 Vanity Fair interview, one of the few occasions he has spoken at length, he said, “I’m just not comfortable talking about it,” and added that the kidnappers “could have made a different decision.”3Vanity Fair. The Strange Odyssey of Hedge Fund King Eddie Lampert Visitors to his Greenwich estate pass through a security gate staffed by a guard, and he now spends most of his time in Miami Beach, managing his business interests by teleconference.10Vanity Fair. The Strange Odyssey of Hedge Fund King Eddie Lampert