Auburn couple wanted by FBI caught near Port Townsend

An Auburn couple wanted by the FBI was captured near Port Townsend on Tuesday, according to the FBI.

The FBI had issued a pair of wanted alerts after Bernard Ross Hansen and Diane Renee Erdmann failed to appear in federal court for a sentencing hearing.

They were found at the Hadlock Motel, about 10 miles south of Port Townsend, where an employee recognized the couple and their dog, a corgi named Stewie.

The motel manager told KIRO 7 the couple only paid in cash and wanted to park their car in the back of the motel. She said they claimed they didn’t want any family members to know where they were staying. She also said the couple mostly stayed in their room unless they were walking their dog.

Once the FBI received the tip about the couple, they conducted surveillance and saw Erdmann in plain view.

As detectives arrived at the scene, they located their car, and noted the license plates were for a different vehicle. The FBI said the couple also used fake names to check in to the motel.

The couple was soon arrested and transferred into FBI custody.

Hansen and Erdmann were both convicted of multiple counts of mail and wire fraud in July 2021. FBI investigators believe the couple scammed investors out of $25 million through a Ponzi scheme using a precious metals company.

The FBI believed the couple fled their Auburn home on April 29, the day they were supposed to be sentenced for their crimes.

Federal arrest warrants were issued.

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