John Paul Chase

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John Paul Chase (December 26, 1901 – October 5, 1973) was an American bank robber who worked with famous Depression-era outlaws like Baby Face Nelson and John Dillinger.

Born in San Francisco, he left school early and held several jobs before becoming a bootlegger in the Bay Area. In the early 1930s he teamed up with Nelson, and together they robbed their first bank on October 23, 1933 in Brainerd, Minnesota, making about $32,000 and picking up other criminals along the way.

Nelson later joined Dillinger’s gang, and Chase became a trusted helper, running errands and delivering weapons and messages. He may have taken part in some robberies with them, including a 1934 heist in South Bend, Indiana. After Dillinger’s gang was attacked by the FBI, Nelson and Chase fled west. Nelson was mortally wounded in a gunfight near Barrington, Illinois, and Chase escaped.

Chase was arrested on December 27, 1934, in Mount Shasta, California, while working at a state fish hatchery. He became the first person charged under a new federal law that made it a crime to kill a federal agent. On March 24, 1935, he was convicted of killing agent Sam Cowley and sentenced to life in prison. He was sent to Alcatraz on March 31, 1935, where he stayed for about 19 years.

While in prison, Hoover opposed his parole, but Chase was ultimately released on October 31, 1966, after 32 years behind bars. He moved back to the Bay Area and worked as a custodian at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Los Altos, California. John Paul Chase died of cancer on October 5, 1973, in Palo Alto, California.