Conman gives himself away on Facebook
A fraudster who went on the run from US authorities gave himself away - because he couldn't help himself from posting on Facebook.
Cameroon-born Maxi Sopo's messages made it clear he was living the high life in the Mexican resort of Cancun.
He also added a former US justice department official to his friend list who ended up helping to track him down, reports the BBC.
US officials say Mr Sopo and an associate falsely obtained more than £125,000 in credit from banks.
In recent status updates Mr Sopo said he was "loving it", described himself as "living in paradise" and said he was "just here to have fun".
"He was making posts about how beautiful life is and how he was having a good time with his buddies," said Assistant US Attorney Michael Scoville.
"He was definitely not living the way we wanted him to be living, given the charges he was facing," he added.
The 26-year-old, who is now in custody in Mexico City, initially sold roses in Seattle nightclubs after arriving in the US in 2003. He then allegedly moved on to bank fraud.
The former justice department official whom Mr Sopo befriended on the social networking site said he had only met the fugitive a few times in the city's nightclubs and had no idea that he was on the run.
He was able to discover exactly where Mr Sopo was living and the information was passed to the Mexican authorities who arrested him last month.
LOL...What an idiot..akin to digging his own grave
oh yes.. thieves are degrading the image they once had. now the smarter ones are mostly involved with bank frauds but the dumber ones get busy with facebook after a tiny loot.
hmm...beats me!will remember to ask him when i meet him next :-P
Going to church no more makes you a Christian than standing in a garage makes you a car. ~ Garrison Keillor
Mark Twain was wrong: the universe is not infinite. Then how can something infinite be contained within something finite?
i suddenly remembered what Mark Twain said once...Two things are infinite:the Universe & human stupidity;and I'm not very sure about the Universe :-D :-P
Going to church no more makes you a Christian than standing in a garage makes you a car. ~ Garrison Keillor
ExLegend, I know someone back home who did the same. Stole a TV from a house but forgot the cables AND the remote. The thieves of this generation give the seasoned thieves of days old a really bad name!
mjamille, just say no to that blasted farmville! hahah, hate that ish
britexpat, LOLLLL, you implying something young man??!
--------Do I look like Bambi's sister???-------
"He was making posts about how beautiful life is and how he was having a good time with his buddies,"
Sounds like some postings from Qlers ..............I wonder ??????
lol.. damn facebook hahaha.... :P
hmm, i wonder if he's farming... could use another neighbour hahaha...
reminds me of a story a work mate once told me. it was about a thief in doha who stole a LCD TV from a shop and then went back in to buy the power cables as he could not take them along earlier. thats when he got caught.
LOL he should be added to list of the world's dumbest criminals. His ego got the best of him, aaah men!! ;)
--------Do I look like Bambi's sister???-------