Berg, 55, was “responsible for the largest fraud scheme ever prosecuted in the Western District of Washington,” the release adds. Berg was the founder of the Meridian Group of investment funds, purportedly a real estate financing operation that federal authorities described as a huge Ponzi scheme, with much of the money going to support a lavish lifestyle. Berg pleaded guilty to one count each of wire fraud, money laundering and bankruptcy fraud, and received a sentence of 18 years and an order to pay $140 million in restitution. With time served, he still has 10 years to go. But since the feds take a dim view of inmates attempting to unofficially parole themselves, his scheduled stay is likely to be lengthened — if he’s ever found.



Retailing consultant J’Amy Owens was never criminally charged, but there are still lots of people who would like a word with her — if they can find her. There was a time when she wasn’t at all difficult to contact. All reporters in the region who spent time on the retail beat had Owens’ number in the Rolodex in case they needed a quick quote.



Owens ran into trouble with her own retailing venture, Bill the Butcher, an upscale purveyor of meats that in 2014 abruptly closed its six stores, leaving employees and investors in the lurch.



Then there’s the case of real estate developer Michael Mastro and his wife Linda, who, in the midst of a bankruptcy case, decided to take a permanent vacation to France, where they were eventually found. They fended off efforts to extradite them to the United States, arguing age and ill health.



With that track record, perhaps it’s surprising not that a few high-profile people decide to vanish but that more don’t. The odds would seem to be in their favor, not just from having money and connections. It’s still possible to live off the information grid, and trying to track down those who wish not to be found takes a lot of time, money and concerted effort; over time, those resources can be exhausted. And while Berg, Owens and the Mastros were locally known, they weren’t famous enough to have everyone everywhere looking for them.



Still, as much as they’d like to remain both gone and forgotten, all it takes is one slip up, one chance encounter, one persistent pursuer, for them to hear that dreaded greeting: “Long time no see.”



Bill Virgin is the founder and owner of Northwest Newsletter Group, which publishes Washington Manufacturing Alert and Pacific Northwest Rail News.