WebProNews

Tag: Crime

  • Insurance Agent Sentenced to do 6 Years After Stealing $1 Million from Clients

    After stealing over one million dollars from her elderly clients, the former Issaquah insurance agent could spend up to six years and three months in the can.

    Jasmine Jamrus-Kassim was arrested last March in Kent by State Patrol troopers and investigators from the Office of the Insurance Commissioner. Kassim was desperate to leave the country after the big take and raised some red flags as she attempted to liquidate her assets by selling her house in a short sale.

    Kassim was charged with 21 first degree counts of theft. This clever con artist was able to swindle the million from only five elderly residents by earning their trust and presenting herself as one of the nicest women they had ever met.

    (image)

    Her process for obtaining the big score was to have her clients endorse checks to her teenage daughters’ names and proceed to bounce those checks into her own account. Kassim told her victims that she was investing their money for them and that she was not a thief.

    One of her prey, an 81-year-old Bellevue man, died knowing that he got scammed out of $130,000. He passed away in January of 2011 and never got to see Kassim brought to justice.

    In December 2009, the son of the Bellevue man contacted the Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) to file a complaint against Kassim. Three days later, 92 year old Dorothy King also filed a complaint against her. Kassim returned $25,000 to her in an effort to convince the woman of her innocence.

    The act of cashing her clients’ annuity checks was what eventually got this cold-hearted monster caught. That and the fact that she started doing irrational things with the money like donating $20,000 to the Online Psychic Network website in January of 2009.

    Because her victims were viewed as extremely vulnerable (they were 74-90 years of age) prosecutors pushed for an exceptional sentence of five years, eight months and got more than they originally asked for; the standard sentence range is three years, seven months to four years, nine months.

  • Crimes Committed Against Journalists in Mexico May Be Federalized

    The Mexican senate approved constitutional changes on Tuesday that make any attack on a journalist and media workers a federal crime. Any crime carried out against these types of professionals will be investigated by the central government’s attorney general.

    In order for these changes to take effect, they must also be approved by a minimum of 17 Mexican state legislatures. After their consent, the reformation must be signed by the president.

    The push for such changes stems from the grim reality that the majority of attacks on Mexican journalists are often neglected; many attacks are not investigated and those that are rarely lead to any court action.

    According to Mexico’s national human rights commission, 74 people were murdered from 2000 to 2011 while the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists says the total for the period was 51. The attacks have been associated with Mexico’s surge in drug violence over the past 5 1/2 years.

    The Committee to Protect Journalists stated in a 2010 report that “violence against the press has swept the nation and destroyed Mexicans’ right to freedom of expression. The national crisis demands a full-scale federal response.” Perhaps this legislation is the response that they have been waiting for. CPJ has found Mexico the ninth most dangerous for journalists to operate: “In case after case, CPJ has found negligent work by state prosecutors and police. Authorities have used unlawful methods, including coercion of witnesses and fabrication of evidence, on several occasions. Complicity between police and criminals is so common that many people interviewed by CPJ see the justice system as being controlled by the criminals.”

    The federalization of crimes that protect the freedom of expression sends an important message that national leaders are taking the situation seriously. Mexico’s track record for allowing the press and other media to be controlled by cartels and other criminals has diminished its status as a reliable global partner.

    The other advantage in federalizing these crimes is that federal employees have more access to resources than regular police; this makes them more effective in protecting media representatives. Federal employees are also subject to greater scrutiny which makes them less likely to take bribes or falsify information.

  • Guy Spies On Wife’s Sex Life With Under-The-Bed Transmitter

    Sometimes, a man can only take so much. And after walking in time after time on your wife and her boyfriend having sex, you have to take some steps to protect yourself.

    Wait, what?

    As odd as that sounds, that’s the quandary that faced 66-year-old Wayne Cripe of Raccoon Township, Pennsylvania. He’s being charged with misdemeanor invasion of privacy and felony attempt to intercept private communications after he allegedly planted a transmitter under his wife’s bed.

    If this sounds odd to you, let me explain. No, it wasn’t some sort of Lucy and Ricky bed scenario where a happily married couple just had their own beds. Mr. Cripe and his wife, Suzanne, apparently had been separated for awhile but were still married and lived in the same house.

    The Beaver County Times reports that Suzanna found the transmitter and immediately called the police. Since it was pretty obvious who would have a reason to place a transmitter under their estranged wife’s bed, police contacted Wayne, who immediately copped to the plant.

    His reasoning? He said he was simply tired of coming home to his wife and her boyfriend having sex and simply wanted to know if he was free to enter his house without having to walk in on them. Apparently, by the time the police questioned him, he had already thrown away the receiver.

    Hidden pieces of technology are not new to the jealousy games. Whether is be a hidden camera to catch a philandering husband or a GPS tracker to track the whereabouts of an unfaithful wife – people have been planting the ones they (used to) love with devices for decades. But this is the first time that I’ve heard of a man spying on his wife and her boyfriend inside their shared home – an odd one indeed.

    Some of the commenters on the Beaver Times are skeptical of the illegality of Mr. Cripe’s actions. “Charging a felony for putting a transmitter in your own home is asinine, and this tacky woman has no expectation of privacy so long as she chooses to live with her husband in their family home,” says one reader. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.

  • Facebook Foils Robbery

    In Pretoria, South Africa, a Facebook status posted by a woman being attacked by two armed robbers in her home was able to summon help, according to The Daily News. Lizette Langeveld, 43, was attacked by two armed men who broke into her Centurion home around 7:30 PM Monday, the Beeld reports.

    facebook robbery 1

    The men bound Langeveld and her 10-year-old son, took her cellphone, and stated that they were going to wait for her husband to arrive home and kill him. She was able to untie herself and her son, grab a laptop, and hide in a closet. From there, she updated her Facebook status to “Please help! We have an armed robbery, they’re waiting for Hennie at the gate, please phone him, don’t let him come inside.” A second wall post read “Help! Call Hennie. We’ve managed to untie ourselves. They said they would come back to rape me. Armed.” One of Langeveld’s Facebook friends saw the post and contacted Hennie Langeveld. Police and security guards promptly arrived at the house, but the robbers had fled. Pretoria Police Captain Agnes Huma has stated that the robbers are still at large.

    facebook robbery 2

    facebook robbery 3

    Langeveld said on the matter, “I could only think of Facebook and hoping someone would read the messages I write and think… it is amazing how the internet community helped to save my family.”

    As of late, Facebook has been of assistance in other matters of crime, like the Bonnie and Clyde-type characters who’d documented their vandalism antics on their Timelines. And then was the user who’d punched his wife in the face after she’d failed to “like” his Facebook status.

  • Chinese Man Buys A Fake iPhone, Stabs A Counterfeiter To Death

    What’s the angriest you’ve ever been after a purchase? What about that time your friend sold you that used video game that “worked like new” but when you opened it you found it covered with scratches and unplayable? How about that signed baseball card with the signature that rubbed off the second you got it home?

    Most everyone has been duped before, but did it make you feel homicidal?

    In Zhengzhou city, China(the location of one of Foxconn’s biggest Apple factories), one jilted market shopper got a little stabby when he discovered that the iPhone he had just purchased was not really an iPhone, but a counterfeit device constructed only well enough assuage any suspicions at the moment of sale.

    The suspect, identified by ChinaHush as a Mr. Feng, was arrested last week after assaulting multiple people in a market plaza inside Zhengzhou. According to the reports, Feng was there looking for the particular guy who sold him his fake iPhone, but settled for some individuals that looked to be associated with the counterfeit trade.

    After getting home with his fake iPhone a realizing he’d been had, Feng apparently went back to the market plaza only to discover that the seller was long gone. Feng then continued to visit the plaza every day looking for the culprit – one day bringing a kitchen knife along.

    On that day, Feng happened upon another transaction in the same area. He saw what looked like a similar transaction to the one that fooled him, with the fake iPhone appearing to resemble the one sold to him. “Very upset after being cheated,” Feng attacked the sellers with the knife – killing one.

    The reports indicate that the victim died of blood loss after having a major artery in his leg severed.

    Although it’s unclear why Feng expected anything other than a fake iPhone while making purchases on the street, one thing is clear: When you truly want an iPhone – there is no substitute.

  • Jeffrey Dahmer Tours On Groupon Don’t Go Over Too Well

    This week, Groupon ran a deal for its Milwaukee customers for a tour of notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer’s crime scenes. This reportedly resulted in protests from local residents, including family members of some of Dahmer’s victims. Groupon has pulled the deal, but you can still see it, courtesy of Google’s caching.

    (image)

    Groupon’s description for the deal said:

    Things that go bump in the night keep us awake by invading our dreams and loudly honking car horns every 30 seconds. Give yourself the creeps with this Groupon.

    $25 for Two Tickets to a 90-Minute Dahmer Tour ($60 Value)

    Guides march guests through the grisly corridors of Jeffrey Dahmer’s life and killing spree as they narrate the triggers of his psychosis and the heinous crimes he committed. Tours take place every Saturday at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

    Dahmer Tours

    Dahmer Tours grants a spine-chilling glimpse into the life of Jeffrey Dahmer from within his hunting grounds. The guides, who are neither insensitive to the victims’ families nor approbating of Dahmer’s monstrous acts, narrate thoroughly researched information about the crimes and their historical impact over the course of a one-mile walk. The company crosschecks all their material with former members of Milwaukee’s legal community and several unturned stones to ensure that every fact and trail is credible. As guests’ feet cover the very tracks that Dahmer stalked upon, guides dissect his mad world to grant access into the mind of a serial killer.

    Groupon was also encouraging users to “buy it for a friend”. I have to admit, it does sound like a hell of a gift idea.

    Groupon is certainly no stranger to controversy. It even offended people with its first Super Bowl ad.

    People aren’t just mad at Groupon, however. They’re more upset with the tour in general.

    Here’s a screencap from the official site for the tour:

    (image)

    Jim Stingl from Milwaukee’s Journal Sentinel shares some comments from locals:

    “I think it’s in very poor taste. There’s a lot of families of the victims, and their wounds are still healing,” said Ald. James Witkowiak, who represents that area of town.

    Victor Ray, who lives in the neighborhood and is president of the Walker’s Point Association, dislikes the plan to do Dahmer tours, and rejects an idea by tour organizers to mount a plaque or memorial in honor of the victims. None has ever been erected in Milwaukee.

    Timothy Benkowski owns TimothyJ Kitchen & Bath in the same block as Dahmer’s old favorite bars, and he doesn’t favor the tours. “I’d just as soon not have the memory of that hanging around my place,” he said.

    The tours begin on Saturday.

  • Underage Girls Targeted For Sex In Intricate Facebook Fake Identity Scam

    Since the advent of the internet, people have always cited the relative “anonymity” that it provides as both a strength and a danger. Are people really who they say they are? Anyone who’s a member of any online community knows how easy it is to falsify information about yourself. Remember the running joke back when chat rooms were still popular? That hot 18-year-old girl you’re talking to probably looks like Danny DeVito, right?

    One man in Pennsylvania is being charged with 68 felony counts after he went to painstaking lengths to manipulate underage girls through a series of fake Facebook accounts.

    According to Attorney General Linda Kelly, the investigation into the activities of William R. Ainsworth began back in September of 2011, after he was arrested for attempting to engage in sexual acts with a 14-year-old girl. After he was arrested, they found that this one lascivious meeting was just the tip of the iceberg. After combing through thousands of online communications, performing 18 searches, and interviewing over 30 children, the state has put together one hell of a story about Mr. Ainsworth.

    “We quickly discovered that there was much more to this case than the sexual solicitation of one girl,” Kelly said. “What we found was an intricate web of false Facebook identities that were used to establish online relationships with vulnerable girls, who were then manipulated into sending nude photos to Ainsworth – believing he was a young surfer living in Florida – or physically meeting Ainsworth for sex – under the impression that those sexual encounters would help raise money so the girls could run away to Florida to be with their new online friend.”

    Here’s how Ainsworth allegedly constructed his webs of lies:

    First, he created two fake Facebook profiles – Bill Cano and Anthony “Riip” Navari. He built up both profiles by creating a network of friends with people in the greater Pittsburgh area. Both of his characters were young surfers who had dropped out of high school and ran away to Florida. He supposedly bolstered the believability of his characters by taking images from around the internet.

    Apparently, he amassed over 600 friends between the two fake profiles.

    He then used Bill Cano to make contact with young girls. Once he had manipulated them by gaining their trust over a period of time, he would get them to send him nude and sexually explicit photos.

    But that wasn’t enough. Here’s where the story takes an even darker turn.

    Once Ainsworth had established a community of girls that cared about Bill Cano, he killed him off. Then comes “Rip” Navari, who swooped in posing to be Bill’s step-brother or best friend. He told the girls that Bill had been attacked and killed. It’s pretty easy to see how young girls could get wrapped up in all of this.

    Ainsworth then put a third fake character into play, named Glenn Keefer. Keefer’s profile said that he was a “Sugardaddy looking for Sugarbabies,” living in the Pittsburgh area. Ainsworth used Rip to introduce the girls to Keefer. The story was that if they stripped or performed sex acts with Keefer, then he would give money to Rip so that Rip could help the girls fly down to Florida to be with him.

    All in all, Ainsworth’s web tangled up 7 victims from the ages of 13-15. Five of those girls ended up sending nude photos and he actually met with two of them (posing as Keefer) for the purposes of sex.

    This is a pretty intricate fake identity scam, and if found guilty, Ainsworth is going to pay a heavy price for it. You always hear about stuff like this, and how it could happen. But it’s very rare to see something surface that’s this elaborate. The internet is one of the greatest inventions of all time – but damn, it can be cruel.

  • Find My iPhone Aids In Drug Bust

    I guess the moral of this story is if you’re going to steal a smartphone – wait, just don’t steal people’s phones. Because if you do, karma might bite you in the ass.

    Karma, in this case, comes in the form of Apple’s Find My iPhone feature. The built-in app allows users to track their lost devices using the iCloud and GPS. If you find yourself missing your iPhone, you can log in to the iCloud from another device and pinpoint the exact location of the device. This, of course, assumes that you previously enabled the Find My iPhone feature.

    UPI is reporting that Find My iPhone has led to a interesting drug bust in Marietta, Georgia.

    After an iPhone was reported missing in the early morning hours on Tuesday, police used the Find My iPhone app to track the device to an apartment building. When they approached the door, one suspect tried to jump off a second-floor balcony. Unsuccessful, the police grabbed him and found the stolen iPhone on his body.

    But what they also found was 1,100 grams of pot, five handguns (3 of them stolen), 42 tablets of oxycodone and an assault rifle.

    Two suspects were subsequently hit with theft, weapons and narcotics charges.

    You can add this to the growing list of idiot criminals that are foiled by technology. Want more? Check out idiot admits to brutal beating on Facebook, and after that, how about idiot taunts police on Facebook? If you want to go back even more, read about the rioting idiots that talked about vandalizing cop cars on social media or even drunk idiot who calls 911 because his iPhone “wont work.”

    [Lead Image Courtesy]

  • Idiot Admits To Winter Classic Assault On Facebook

    On Monday evening, after the Winter Classic hockey game in Philadelphia, several men wearing Philly Flyers jerseys beat up a couple of guys wearing New York Rangers jerseys. It all happened in the street in front of the legendary Geno’s Steaks.

    Although one of the victims (a Purple Heart recipient) was seriously injured according to police, a fight in downtown Philadelphia between hockey fans doesn’t really tip the “most outrageous story” scale.

    Except that this story involves Facebook idiots – and god how I love Facebook idiots.

    Facebook idiots, simply, are people that do unbelievably dumb things on Facebook (or on some occasions, because of Facebook). In the past, for example, I’ve told you about the wanted idiot who taunted police with his location on Facebook – only to be arrested shortly thereafter. Or how about the guy who posted about vandalizing police cars and private property during the Vancouver riots last summer? Remember the guy who punched his wife because she failed to like one of his statuses?

    Joining the Facebook idiots hall of the elite are some hockey fans who seem to forget that actions in the internet realm often translate into real life consequences.

    Philadelphia hockey blog Broad St. Hockey posted a link about the violent Geno’s incident on their Facebook page, saying, “Some guys who think they’re Flyers fans beat up some Rangers fans outside of Geno’s Steaks on Monday…let’s not let them get away with it.” Amongst the comments denouncing the incident and the fans involved, young Edward Neary offered a different contribution to the conversation. The posts have since been deleted, but Broad St. Hockey grabbed some screenshots.

    On the same thread a bit later, Neary expounded on the incident, eventually having a change of heart. He then began to blame some other guys by tagging them in posts:

    After deleting many of the posts, Neary changed his profile picture a couple of times. His profile still says that he knows “Black Speech” and shows him as a fan of the page “Seriously I will punch you in the f*cking face.” One of his comments is still visible on the thread, from about 14 hours ago:

    After denying the allegations, one of the guys he tagged as a participant in the assault also commented on the thread later saying, “It was me I live in gayville south dokota come.find me ans ill knock anyone out.”

    Police are currently looking into the issue and as of right now, there is no way to know if any of our scholars actually participated in the crime. But if they can grab some more evidence, these Facebook posts will literally amount to confessions. Oh, and there’s also this video of the incident:

    Dear Facebook idiots,

    The internet is real. It’s not just some make believe place where anything goes and actions don’t have consequences. Things that you do on the internet can actually impact real life. In the future, remember that. Or, don’t. If your tales of idiocy ever ceased to exist, it would deprive us of untold hours of fun and ridicule. Proceed.

  • Video Game Thieves Butt-Dial 911, Discuss Crime For An Hour

    If you know anything about me, you know that I love stupid criminals. Sometimes, people are such perfect idiots that the stories write themselves. There’s really no need to embellish or play up the crime in question – it’s just that flawlessly moronic.

    According to police in Madison, Wisconsin, two men were arrested after they attempted to sell stolen video games at a local video game exchange store. The police were waiting for the two thieves when they arrived, guns drawn. How did the police know they were going to try to cash in on their crime? Well, that’s the good part.

    After making away with their loot (video games and DVDs from Target), our two master thieves started to discuss their crime. They talked about how they were better at stealing than other thieves, and how others fail to act nonchalant, and that’s their biggest mistake.

    What they didn’t know was that one of them had butt-dialed 911, and an operator was listening to the entire conversation. Reportedly, this went on for about an hour.

    The key part of their conversation (the one that eventually led to their arrest) was the tidbit about going down to the video game exchange to sell the stolen merchandise. After the 911 operator told the police of their plans, snagging the criminals turned out to be a pretty simple operation.

    For some snippets of the unknown 911 call, check out this video below:

    video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player

    [ABC News via Kotaku]

  • iPhone Robbers: We Don’t Want Your Droids, BlackBerries

    Apparently, we have some elitist muggers roaming around Columbia University.

    A pair of robbers are targeting students in Upper Manhattan, and they are taking the worst thing imaginable – their iPhones. I’m not using “iPhone” and a generic term for “smartphone” like saying “Kleenex” for “tissue.” I mean they are taking iPhones – and only iPhones.

    If the students don’t happen to have the popular Apple device, these guys refuse to take anything else as a substitute. Android? No Thanks. Blackberry? Get real.

    From NBCNewYork:

    Twice at 526 114th St., and once at 556 114th St., the suspects demanded the victims hand over their iPhones, police said.

    The first victim complied, but the second only had a Droid, according to police. The thieves apparently didn’t want a Droid — so they took cash instead.

    One student was quoted as saying, “It’s insulting they don’t want my Blackberry.” Columbia Campus police suggest that it might be the high resale value of the iPhone that’s making these robbers so picky. I’d like to believe that they just can’t bear the thought of losing the silky smooth vocal stylings of Siri.

    Whatever the case may be, Apple could definitely spin this into a new ad campaign. “The iPhone 4S: Because when you want an iPhone, nothing else will do. Just ask these robbers.”

    Check out the video below for some surveillance footage of the incidents. Maybe that guy’s right. Maybe Columbia students just need to carry old Blackberries and offer them up the next time they are accosted by our iPhone-only thieves.

  • Man Shot By Mother-In-Law, Records It All On His iPhone

    It’s unfortunate for wonderful, loving, sane mothers-in-law that some off-balanced nutjobs have to go any perpetuate the whole “crazy mother-in-law” joke. Truly, a shame.

    What’s not a shame for 39-year-old Salvatore Miglino of Boca Raton is that his iPhone might just be the key witness in a crime reportedly borne of familial bickering.

    According to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, Miglino went to the home of his estranged mother-in-law, 66-year-old Cheryl Hepner, to pick up his 3-year-old kid for his court-mandated visitation. Apparently, Miglino and Hepner’s daughter are in the midst of a divorce.

    After a brief discussion, Hepner allegedly pulled out a .22 caliber Beretta and shot Miglino twice – in the shoulder and the rib cage.

    Luckily for Miglino, he had expected some sort of confrontation (although by the sound of his voice, obviously not any involving firearms), so he hit the record button on his iPhone before getting out of his car. The 90-seconds of footage has just been released by investigators and is making the rounds on the internet.

    In the video, we don’t get much in the way of visuals. But the audio paints a pretty vivid picture of what happens:

    According to the CBS local affiliate in Miami, operators received two distinct 911 calls – one from Hepner and one from Miglino. As you would expect, one doesn’t exactly corroborate the other:

    Hepner: I tried to grab the gun and shoot. I don’t know.
    911: Did you guys scuffle for the gun?
    Hepner: Yes he had me down on the floor on the ground outside.
    911: Did he pull the gun on you or did you pull it on him?
    Hepner: No he pulled the gun on me and he’s got it and he drove away.

    ///

    Miglino: Oh my God. I’m shot.
    911: Ok
    MIglino: I took the gun away from her. I have it.
    911: Where are you shot?
    Miglino: On my shoulder and on my side. I can’t believe she shot me!

    The Broward Sheriff’s Office says that the gun jammed, and that’s probably the only reason that Miglino is alive. Hepner has been charged with attempted first-degree murder.

    “The victim knew that something wasn’t right,” a BSO spokesman said. “He knew that there would possibly be a confrontation, he had the foresight to hit record on his iPhone. Thank goodness he did.”

    [Via The Smoking Gun]
    [Image Courtesy]

  • Welfare Office Murder-Suicide Receives Live Facebook Updates From Young Victim

    A little girl’s Facebook posts serve as the last dispatches from a stomach-turning tragedy that took place earlier this week in a Laredo, Texas welfare office.

    Monday night, 38-year old Rachelle Grimmer pulled a gun on a supervisor at the Texas Department of Health and Human Services branch office in Laredo. This would lead to a tense seven-hour standoff that would leave two dead and one in critical condition.

    Grimmer, who entered the HHS office that day with her two children Ramie (12) and Timothy (10), was reportedly frustrated for being denied food stamps. According to reports, Grimmer had various applications for assistance rejected across various states. A spokeswoman for the Texas HHS Department said that Grimmer hadn’t been rejected, simply denied because she failed to provide all the necessary documentation in a specific time frame.

    The motivations are not all that important in the end, as the result left Grimmer dead and both of her children critically wounded. Around midnight Monday, Grimmer fired three shots. Police rushed in and found her dead at the scene.

    Her 12-year-old daughter’s use of Facebook during the ordeal serves as a chilling account, from the perspective of a child.

    At 7:50 pm, Ramie strangely added “may die 2day” as her work.

    At 10:34, well into the standoff, she posted this:

    Then, just a few minutes later:

    Her last post came just a half hour or so before the shooting started. The person who commented is listed as the children’s grandmother:

    After struggling for a couple of days, Ramie Grimmer died from her injuries Wednesday night around 8 pm. The boy, Timothy, is still in critical condition at the University hospital in San Antonio.

    This definitely isn’t the first use of Facebook during a police standoff to make the news. Back in June, a Utah man holed up in a hotel room with a girl identified as a hostage. The man took pictures with the girl and posted status updates during the standoff – giving the world a truly odd play-by-play of all the police actions. That also ended poorly as the man shot himself in the chest when police eventually stormed the room.

  • Blagojevich Sentenced 14 Years In Prison

    Former Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich was sentenced today to serve 14 years in prison. Blago was convicted of 18 charges of corruption, most memorable being the time he tried to sell President Obama’s vacant Senate seat after the 2008 election.

    “Blago” was the top trending topic on Twitter today after the verdict was announced. Here’s what some of the tweets had to say:

    @TPM
    Talking Points Memo    Blago sentenced to 14 years for corruption: http://t.co/3J80U2vE 24 minutes ago via CoTweet · powered by @socialditto

    @guypbenson
    Guy Benson    Blago (D-IL) tried to sell a Senate seat, shook down a children’s hospital, & tried to get hostile newspaper editors fired. Good riddance. 26 minutes ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto

    @ourmaninchicago
    Scott Smith    You shouldn’t get lenience b/c you have kids. Having kids should be the thing that keeps you from breaking the law. #blago 19 hours ago via UberSocial for BlackBerry · powered by @socialditto

    @roblathan
    Rob Lathan    When asked for comment Rod Blagojevich said his prison sentence was not fuckin’ golden. 6 minutes ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @WarrenHolstein
    Warren Holstein    Blagojevich gets 14 years in prison for corruption. His hair gets the death sentence. 7 minutes ago via TweetCaster for Android · powered by @socialditto

    @TomBevanRCP
    Tom Bevan    Not so effing golden: Blago sentenced to 14 years. http://t.co/rlbeF7bu 14 minutes ago via bitly · powered by @socialditto

    @badbanana
    Tim Siedell    I bet we all remember where we were when Blagojevich was sentenced, since it happened just a few minutes ago. 9 minutes ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @WJBC
    WJBC AM-1230 FM-93.7    Under federal guidelines, Blagojevich will have to serve 85 percent, which is nearly 12 years.#Blago 11 minutes ago via HootSuite · powered by @socialditto

    @divyasukumar
    divya    Blago gets 14 years. Conrad Murray gets 4 years. Casey Anthony walks. 12 minutes ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @mbimotmog
    Aaron K    BREAKING: Internet scrambles to divide 168 by 12. #Blago 30 minutes ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @ErnestWilkins
    Ernest Wilkins    That sound you just heard was every journalist ever mashing calculator keys. #blago 31 minutes ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto

    @joeschmitt
    Joe Schmitt    Is 14 years too many for Blagojevich? No. I’d rather he be sentenced until the Cubs are in the World Series. 32 seconds ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @JohnFugelsang
    John Fugelsang    For comedians, Rod Blagojevich is the grift that keeps on giving. 4 minutes ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @daveweigel
    daveweigel    Blago 2028! #comeback 27 minutes ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto

    @MidnoirCowboy
    Will Lee    As they cleared the room, she cried out and rushed into his arms. They both knew it would be, but not this bad. “What am I gonna do?” #blago 20 minutes ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @aliciac
    Alicia    Has anyone started a “Blago in jail” Twitter account yet? 18 minutes ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    Concerning that last tweet: I’m on it.

  • FBI: Massive Fraudulent Online Ad Scheme Affected More Than 4 Million Computers

    According to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Manhattan, at least 4 million computers in over 100 different countries fell victim to a giant fraud scheme that involved a sophisticated virus that manipulated search results and used online ads to generate fraudulent revenue for the virus’ creators.

    U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara called it a “massive and sophisticated scheme.”

    The fraud was perpetrated by seven individuals, all of whom the U.S. is trying to get extradited. Six of the seven are Estonian nationals and have been taken into custody. The seventh is a Russian national and he remains at large.

    Here’s how the scheme worked:

    Malware installed to millions of computers allowed the perpetrators to manipulate online searches in order to redirect clicks to certain sites and ads. They used these falsely-acquired clicks to generate ad revenue.

    Some examples of this included links to Apple’s iTunes, Netflix, and even the IRS being redirected to unrelated sites.

    The malware also interfered with the computers’ anti-virus software, making the intrusion even harder to identify.

    As alleged in the Indictment, from 2007 until October 2011, the defendants controlled and operated various companies that masqueraded as legitimate publisher networks (the “Publisher Networks”) in the Internet advertising industry. The Publisher Networks entered into agreements with ad brokers under which they were paid based on the number of times that Internet users clicked on the links for certain websites or advertisements, or based on the number of times that certain advertisements were displayed on certain websites.

    Thus, the more traffic to the advertisers’ websites and display ads, the more money the defendants earned under their agreements with the ad brokers. As alleged in the Indictment, the defendants fraudulently increased the traffic to the websites and advertisements that would earn them money. They accomplished this by making it appear to advertisers that the Internet traffic came from legitimate clicks and ad displays on the defendants’ Publisher Networks when, in actuality, it had not.

    It’s shocking to see that the scheme apparently went on for more than 4 years.

    The schemers also operated ad-replacement fraud, replacing certain ads on websites with their own. For instance, the infected computers that visited the Wall Street Journal site saw ads for “Fashion Girl LA” as opposed to what should have been there – an ad for the American Express “Plum Card.”

    More than 500,000 of the computers that were hit came from the U.S. And we’re not just talking about personal systems – but systems from within U.S. government agencies like NASA as well as colleges & universities and non-profits.

    The suspects face 27 charges, including wire fraud and computer intrusion.

    The FBI wants to hear from you if you think your computer might have been involved in this scheme. They say standard, up-to-date antivirus software should be able to detect the malware.

  • In The UK, Inciting Riots On Facebook Will Land You Three Years In Jail

    If you remember those riots that consumed many parts of England back in August, you probably remember all of the discussion regarding social media’s influence on their spread.

    At the height of the outbursts, triggered by social unrest, Prime Minister David Cameron discussed the possibility of censoring some elements of social media. Speaking on the subject, Cameron said that free flow of information can be good and bad and submitted that the answer might be in stopping communication via social sites like Twitter and Facebook.

    That idea received opposition from the social sites like Facebook and Twitter, as well as RIM, whose BlackBerry Messenger was vital to the rioter’s communications. In the end, social media communications were not restricted.

    Which brings us to Phillip Scott Burgess.

    Today, The Telegraph reports that the 22-year-old Manchester resident has been sentenced to three years in jail for his use of Facebook during the riots.

    On August 9th, Burgess posted this as his status:

    “Message to all – we need to start riot’n we need to put Manchester on the map, first lets riot king street Manchester, haha.”

    Later that day, he posted derogatory remarks regarding the race and ethnicity of some of the protestors. Over the course of the next few days, he posted more racially charged statuses and ended by saying “Bring bk the riots.” He was arrested on August 16th.

    He plead guilty to three counts of “publishing written material to stir up racial hatred and encouraging or assisting the commission of a riot.” He will now reside in a cell for a maximum of 3 years.

    The sentence, according to the judge, was based on the belief that people who had a hand in organizing the riots are just as responsible as those who participated in the looting and vandalism.

    John Hepke, part of the police team that sought Burgess after he made the Facebook posts had this to say about the ruling:

    “Everyone witnessed the disgraceful scenes of violence, looting and arson and it is clear that social networking sites were used to incite certain elements of this disorder…I hope today’s sentence sends a powerful message to those who choose to follow Burgess’ example and use social networking sites irresponsibly and criminally that they will be dealt with harshly by the courts.”

    During the riots, it was clear to those watching online that some of the youth failed to keep their thinking caps on at all times. Not all social-media fails involved inciting the riots – others used Facebook and Twitter to talk about the car they had just smashed or the item they had just stolen.

    And this kind of use of social media isn’t limited to those in the UK. Folks were pretty senseless when it came to social media use during the Vancouver hockey riots as well.

    How do you feel about this case? Do Burgess’ posts make him just as guilty as those who actively participated in the violence? Let us know what you think.

  • Raj Rajaratnam Sentenced To 11 Years In Historic Insider Trading Case

    The longest prison sentence ever dished out for the crime of insider trading has just been given this morning.

    Hedge fund billionaire Raj Rajaratnam was sentenced to 11 years in prison for insider trading practices that resulted in over $50 million in profits. The founder of the Galleon Group (which used to be one of the largest hedge fund management firms in the world) was also ordered to pay $10 million in fines.

    Rajaratnam, who was born in Sri Lanka, was arrested by the FBI in 2009. Prosecutors called him “the modern face of illegal insider trading” and accused him of profiting on tips from a well-connected group of insiders that included former IBM and Intel execs. In May, he was convicted of 14 counts of conspiracy and securities fraud.

    Good news for Raj – his sentence, though the longest in history for insider trading, is still shorter than the up to 24 years the the federal government requested.

    According to the NYT, his sentence is an example of recent trend – white collar criminals receiving harsher penalties. Although some down at the OccupyWallStreet protests might scoff at that notion, insider trading penalties have been on the rise as of late.

    A former Galleon trader, Zvi Goffer, got a 10 year sentence for his role in the insider trading. The average length of sentences for the other people convicted in Rajaratnam’s case is 3 years.

    Twitter is sounding off about the sentencing, and Raj isn’t getting much sympathy –

    @Frederick
    Yabba Dabba Doo!    Raj Rajaratnam jailed for 11 years for insider trading http://t.co/x1I5EbGz Good result – hopefully the first of many! #occupywallstreet 2 minutes ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @cgmagia
    Rahul Thube     Raj Rajaratnam hahahaha !! Gotcha ! Happy ending In jail 2 minutes ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @i8wamu
    i8 wamu    The Worst-Case Scenario For Raj Rajaratnam: Peeling Potatoes For 12 Cents An Hour http://t.co/9FjlpVab 7 minutes ago via Tweet Button · powered by @socialditto

    @swapanseth
    Swapan Seth    “Raj Rajaratnam has attempted to make the world a better place,” Mr. Lynam said. Yeah, right. 9 minutes ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    Some have used this sentence as an example that there is some justice for financial crimes –

    @sfontaine_
    Fontaine    NO JUSTICE, NO PE.. Oh RT “@CNNMoney: Hedge fund manager Raj Rajaratnam sentenced to 11 years and fined $10 million for insider trading” 17 minutes ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® · powered by @socialditto

    In 2009, Rajaratnam was the 236th richest man in America and the richest person in the world to have been born in Sri Lanka.

    What do you think about this sentence? How do you think the political climate affected it, if at all? Let us know in the comments.

  • Like My Status or I Will Punch You in the Face

    Sometimes, liking a particular status on Facebook can get you into trouble. For instance, let’s say your friend posts that she is having the worst day of her life. It might seem as though “liking” that status is kind of funny. You would be right, it is funny – but you can expect to be called a four letter word or something ending in “-hole” in the comments.

    “Liking” the changes in people’s relationship status is also a tricky proposition. When Dave finds out that his good friend Steve “likes” that his recent ex-girlfriend Suzy is single, watch out.

    But have you ever seen a situation where someone became enraged when another person failed to like their status?

    According to MSN, A Texas man has plead not guilty to charges of battery after he allegedly assaulted his wife because she failed to like one of his statuses.

    36-year-old Benito Apolinar was arrested in New Mexico after reportedly punching his wife in the cheek and pulling her hair. Police say that Apolinar confronted his wife of 15 years at her home while dropping off his children. The two are apparently separated.

    He was upset that his estranged wife failed to like a status he had posted in remembrance of his mother’s passing on her death anniversary. According to police, Apolinar said that is was “amazing everyone ‘likes’ my status but you, you’re my wife. You should be the first one to ‘like’ my status.”

    Then he punched her in the face. Classy. He will appear in court in December.

    In news that I’m sure will come as a giant surprise to everyone – it appears alcohol was involved. This just puts a new spin on the classic argument that boozing and social networking do not mix.

    In honor of Benny and his epically infantile, ridiculous and criminal overreaction, I’ve decided to put together some tips on how to get your status liked. These are sure fire ways to garner maximum likes for your posts. Maybe he should have gone this route:

    1. Polarizing political posts:  If you have a few hundred friends or more on Facebook, chances are good that folks from all over the political spectrum are represented in the population.  So say something polarizing – Obama this or LOL Republicans that.  There is most likely going to be a contingent that agrees with you.  And the good thing about political posts is that they snowball in terms of likes.  As soon as the disparaging comments start rolling in from the half that disagrees with you, the side that does agree with you becomes emboldened.  They will be more apt to like your status as a way to take it to the crazy libs or silly cons railing away in the comments.
    2. Semi-obscure song lyrics or movie quotes:  The trick here is the “semi-obscure” part.  Posting lyrics or quotes is a great way to garner likes.  People will want to like your status to prove to everyone else that they are cool enough to recognize the origin of the quote.  But it’s a delicate balance – deciding how obscure to make the quote.  If the lyric or movie quote is too easily recognized, people will think it’s too dumb to like it and just move on.  If the lyric or quote is too obscure, they might not recognize it at all.  Note: It’s better to err on the side of overly obscure.  People might like it in order to rep some sort of super indie-cred, even if they have no idea where it came from.
    3. Get engaged or married:  Given this is a long way to go in order to have a status with dozens of “likes,” when it happens organically, you’ll see the power of the nuptials on Facebook.  If you post a status that you just got engaged or married, you will be inundated with likes.  A photo of the ring on the finger will also garner many likes, but that’s a whole other article on photos.  Women traditionally grab the most likes for their engagement and marriage posts, but guys have an opportunity to score major likes with this kind of post.  Since the long-running cultural joke says that guys don’t want to get married, a man posting excitement about marriage is sure to get tons of likes from female Facebookers.
    4. Bitch about Facebook on Facebook:  “F**k FACEBOOK!!!”  Enough said.  Post that status and the likes will come flooding in.  That’s because the only thing Facebookers love more than Facebook is hating on Facebook.  Bonus likes if you mention anything about privacy settings.
    5. Tony Romo Jokes:  Less specifically, NFL Quarterback jokes.  NFL is the most popular sport in America and the QB is the most high profile position.  Ribbing about their activities, on or off the field, is always a sure fire way to have a hit status.  Play the Ben Roethlisberger/sexual assault angle, the Tom Brady/pretty boy angle or even the Jay Cutler/sucking at football angle – all of these are tried and true response- getters.
    6. Finally, this might work:

    Depending on your physical stature, this post could snag quite a number of likes.

    Joining Mr. Apolinar in the Facebook-using hall of shame are some of these bright citizens. Domestic violence over a Facebook status – more or less ridiculous than they guy who taunted cops with his location on Facebook? How about the guy who posted a play by play of his hostage standoff on the site? Maybe dumber than the people who posted about looting during the Vancouver Stanley Cup riots? Let us know in the comments.

  • Full Tilt Poker: A Massive Ponzi Scheme Says U.S. Attorney

    U.S. Attorney in Manhattan Preet Bharara didn’t mince words yesterday when he called out former online poker giant Full Tilt Poker.

    In a statement, Bharara said that “Full Tilt was not a legitimate poker company, but a global Ponzi scheme. Full Tilt insiders lined their own pockets with funds picked from the pockets of their most loyal customers while blithely lying to both players and the public alike about the safety and security of the money deposited.”

    Federal prosecutors are now charging the major players with a new civil money laundering complaint that alleges Full Tilt Poker used online poker players’ money to pay its board of directors. That would include famous poker stars Howard Lederer and “Jesus” Ferguson. The alleged fraudulent payoff is claimed to be $440 million over the last 4 years.

    Here’s how the poker world is responding on Twitter –

    @dwpoker
    David Williams    Times like these make me wanna express how proud and thankful I am to be with the world’s largest poker site, @PokerStars. 19 hours ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto

    @ToddBrunson
    Todd Brunson    RT @mitchthebitch77: @ToddBrunson you were not in on the ponzi scheme were you??? Hell no 13 hours ago via Echofon · powered by @socialditto

    @pokerkat
    Kathy Liebert    Bad day for poker FTP Tilt boys and Howardhlederer 6 hours ago via txt · powered by @socialditto

    Poker star Daniel Negreanu commented on the situation indirectly, responded to a tweet from a fan that read “Wonder if I have better odds of getting a RT from @RealKidPoker or seeing my money from Full Tilt? #LOL” with this –

    @RealKidPoker
    Daniel Negreanu    @PunisherOnTilt this should answer your question… 2 hours ago via Twitter for iPad · powered by @socialditto

    Just a week after the initial Black Friday events that shut down on Full Tilt, Absolute, and PokerStars, the DOJ reached domain agreements that allowed the sites to begin using them again to process payments to players.

    The first to slowly begin to process payouts was PokerStars, who began payments near the end of April.

    From the get-go, Full Tilt Poker players have complained about how the company handled the whole situation. It wasn’t until nearly a month after Black Friday that they contacted users about cashouts. In June, Phil Ivey famously announced that suing Full Tilt and boycotting the World Series of Poker on behalf of all the players who had yet to receive their money.

    At the end of August, Full Tilt released a statement about its inability to pay back its players, blaming the U.S. government’s original indictment and cash seizures for the hold-up. They also claimed a “massive theft perpetrated by one of its payment processors.”

    And now, this new Ponzi scheme accusation hits. Federal prosecutors have amended the original complaints to include Lederer, Ferguson, and CEO Ray Bitar. Apparently, Full Tilt payed off its board members with player funds while keeping miniscule amounts of funds in the bank. From Forbes –

    Federal prosecutors claim that Full Tilt’s board members got rich because the company used player funds to pay them massive amounts of money that largely was transferred to their accounts in Switzerland and other overseas locations. Specifically, the feds allege that Bitar pocketed $41 million and Lederer got $42 million. Jesus Ferguson allegedly was allocated $87 million in distributions and received at least $25 million, federal prosecutors claim. Another owner, described by the feds as a professional poker player, received at least $40 million in distributions, as well as millions of dollars more characterized as loans from Full Tilt that have only been partially repaid. The government claims Full Tilt continued to make payments to its owners of up to $10 million per month even after the company was insolvent.

    The indictment alleges that soon after April’s original crackdown, Lederer told others at Full Tilt that the company only had $6 million.

    Sadly, with legislation ramping up for the legalization of online poker, all this news does is hurt the game.

  • Google’s Marissa Mayer Threatened With Bizarre, Lewd Tweets

    A man has been arrested and indicted on felony charges for using Twitter to harass and ultimately threaten top Google exec Marissa Mayer.

    Mayer, VP of Maps and Location Services at Google, has become one of the most public faces of the company over the last several years. And now, according to the San Francisco Examiner, she is the target of a Twitter stalker.

    According to court documents, 27-year-old Gregory Calvin King was arrested and has now been indicted on multiple counts of threats transmitted through interstate communication and harassing communications. The records indicate that King posted the threats on Twitter, addressed to one “M.M.”

    King’s Twitter account, @gck764 is still active and shows over 20,000 tweets that mention @marissamayer. The tweets begin in November of 2010 and end on August 19th of 2011, the day that King was reportedly arrested.

    The tweets are lewd, threatening, racist and most of the time make little to no sense. On multiple occasions King tweets at Mayer stuff about being “infected” – oftentimes blaming her for it.

    (Warning: Most of the tweets are NSFW)

    @gck764
    Gregory Calvin King    @MARISSAMAYER YOUR GREAT MARISSA. HAHAHAHHAHAHAHA YOUR SO FUNNY I FORGOT TO LAUGH AFTER THEY TRIED TO FUCKING INFECT ME. 22 days ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto

    @gck764
    Gregory Calvin King    @marissamayer If i said I was fucking molested, it happened. If I said you tried to give me HIV it happened 18 days ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto

    The tweets are also threatening, as he makes multiple references to shooting and killing. One tweet even reads “I should fucking shoot your ass marissa.”

    @gck764
    Gregory Calvin King    @marissmayer im telling u, u shit bags tried to infect me i should fucking shoot one of you. 22 days ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto

    Much of the tweeting directed toward Mayer is of a sexual nature. King makes hundreds of references to Mayer’s body, and about having sex with her –

    @gck764
    Gregory Calvin King    @marissamayer So I really dont know why you dont have a quality body marissa. 21 days ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto

    @gck764
    Gregory Calvin King    @marissamayer Seriously Marissa, you should suck my dick… I’m interested if my cum tastes better than bogus’s 19 days ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto

    And like I said before, many of the Tweets are either random in topic or they seem rather delusional.

    @gck764
    Gregory Calvin King    @MARISSAMAYER ARE YOU AN ORGAN DONOR? 22 days ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto

    @gck764
    Gregory Calvin King    @MARISSAMAYER I FUCKING SAID WINSTON CHURCHILL WOULD PROBABLY IMPRESSED WITH JOBS PERFORMANCE AND FUCKING SYRIA ROLLS OUT THE GUNBOATS/ 22 days ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto

    There is no word on whether Mayer reported the Twitter harassment to the authorities herself. It’s highly unlikely that she wouldn’t have noticed the tweets. I counted on one day, August 18th, King sent over 130 tweets at Mayer.

    According to the FBI, “there is no known connection between King and the Google Executive.”

    King is being held without bail awaiting a future court date at a time to be determined. If convicted, he faces up to 7 years in prison.

    [Lead Image Courtesy Google+]

  • Twitter Helps NYPD Shut Down Gang Meeting

    Attention criminals, would-be criminals, rioters, gang members and all who are of interest to local police departments: Social media is public – really really public.

    And while services like Facebook and Twitter are wonderful platforms for fast, large-scale communication and mobilization, it turns out they are also wonderful for getting yourself busted.

    I’m quite fond of social media fails when it comes to people and their run-ins with the law. In the past, I’ve told you about the genius who used live Facebook updates to document his crimes during the Vancouver riots as well as the fugitive who posted a Facebook status taunting officers to arrest him and giving a location of where they could find him.

    This time, the police have used social media to shut down a possible situation before it ever happened.

    According to the NY Daily News, dozens of suspected gang members were arrested in a Brooklyn park after the NYPD learned of their meeting via Twitter.

    56 suspects in all were arrested, suspected to be part of the Crips. According to the police, most were dressed in the trademarked blue colors. Police recovered a 9mm handgun from the scene.

    “We don’t know exactly what their intentions were,” said one law enforcement source with knowledge of the arrests. “But a gun was recovered. The potential for danger was there.”

    Apparently, the Crips members used Twitter to coordinate the meeting, what they called “Crips Holiday” on the social media service. Officers caught wind of the event via Twitter and interrupted the meeting before it could really begin.

    Earlier this month, the NYPD announced the formation of a new unit devoted entirely to tracking criminal activity on social media outlets. That unit’s goal is to stop criminal activity before it happens by monitoring chatter on Twitter and Facebook.

    They also plan to patrol the sites for evidence from people “who announce plans or brag about their crimes.”

    According to the NY Daily News, there is no word on whether this new unit was involved in this operation to shut down the “Crips Holiday.”

    It probably won’t be long until law enforcement departments all over the country begin to actively patrol social media for leads on criminal activity. For those trying to organize unlawful activity on Twitter and Facebook, it may become more of a risk than an asset.

    Do you think this is an effective crime-fighting strategy? Let us know in the comments.