FBI offering $2,000 reward for inmate who escaped after swapping identities, putting on face mask

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The FBI is offering a $2,000 reward in the search for an Illinois inmate who slipped out of jail over the weekend after allegedly buying another detainee’s identity.

Jahquez Scott, who was being held on a weapons charge while on parole for battery of an officer, allegedly promised to pay another detainee who was about to be released $1,000 to let him steal his identity, Cook County sheriff’s spokeswoman Sophia Ansari says. Scott then traded a hooded sweatshirt with a third detainee to complete his disguise.

When corrections officers at the Cook County Jail on Saturday called Quintin Henderson’s name for discharge, Scott, 21, stepped forward wearing a mask and signed release papers before exiting the jail, authorities told The Associated Press.

Jahquez Scott escaped from the Cook County Jail in Illinois on Saturday after allegedly paying another inmate $1,000 for his identity, authorities say. (Cook County Sheriff's Office)

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Henderson, 28, later asked correctional staff if his name had been called, claiming he had fallen asleep, prosecutors said during a bail hearing.

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Henderson, who was about to be released on his own recognizance in a drug case, is now being held in lieu of $25,000 bond on charges of aiding and abetting the escape of a felon.

The sheriff’s office is conducting an internal investigation of circumstances surrounding Scott’s escape, Ansari added.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.