In 2013, former NSA contractor Edward Snowden attempted to flee Hong Kong for Moscow under a false name. Snowden's full name, Edward Joseph Snowden, had been issued a preliminary arrest order by the US authorities. The US filings provided to Hong Kong authorities demanding his extradition, however, listed his full name as Edward James Snowden.
As a result, Snowden was able to bypass airport security and make his way to Moscow.This is not the first time someone has used a phoney name to avoid prosecution. Many criminals adopted fictitious names in the early days of the United States to evade arrest.
Even now, many adopt fictitious names to avoid being caught by police enforcement.However, Snowden's case is exceptional in that he is a high-profile figure who was able to avoid arrest and extradition by using a fictitious name. This is most likely because the US administration did not want to reveal Snowden's genuine identify to Hong Kong authorities.
Snowden has been in Moscow since 2013, and his current whereabouts is unknown. It's possible he's using a fictitious name to escape detection.