Maxi Sopo was having so much fun "living in paradise" in Mexico that he posted about it on Facebook so all his friends could follow his adventures. Others were watching, too: A federal prosecutor in Seattle, where Sopo was wanted on bank fraud charges.

Details.

Shoplifters who were on 'Dr. Phil' headed to prison
Judge upbraids the TV-show host

By Greg Moran, SAN DIEOG UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

In retrospect, going on the "Dr. Phil" television show to talk about their shoplifting exploits did not -- to paraphrase the good doctor -- work very well for Matthew and Nora Eaton.

The San Marcos husband and wife, who went on the popular show and trumpeted their moneymaking scheme of shoplifting toys and reselling them on the Internet, were sentenced to prison yesterday by a federal judge.

And Dr. Phil McGraw didn't get off too easy, either.

The rest of the story

There is an entire blog devoted to these kind of news stories. TruTV Dumb Criminals blog

Police said that officers searching for a man wanted on methamphetamine charges found him hiding neck-deep in a liquid manure pit at a northeastern Indiana farm.

Details.

PSA: Don't put your wedding photos in the newspaper that your OTHER wife reads...
The article

Dumas man on probation gets 20 years for fire

AP story

May 12, 2010

DUMAS, Texas � A Texan on probation in a drug case is going to prison for 20 years after setting fire to his probation office and swiping his criminal records.

A judge Tuesday sentenced 19-year-old Michael Chase Baldwin of Dumas.

Baldwin pleaded guilty to criminal mischief over the Jan. 10 fire. He must pay $829,000 in restitution and fines.

Prosecutor David Green says Baldwin was on probation for possession of a controlled substance when a storage building for lawn equipment was burglarized. Green says Baldwin then broke into the probation office, dumped gasoline and set it on fire.

Green says Baldwin had a probation department laptop computer and his own probation file when he was arrested.

Burglar arrested due to obvious facial tattoo A Colorado burglar has been arrested after being identified by a rather obvious tattoo he has on his face.

The tattoo on the upper lip of 20-year-old Anthony Brandon Gonzales led to his arrest last week in the home invasion of an Elvis impersonator in Pueblo County.
A witness told police that one of the invaders had "East Side" tattooed on his upper lip. Gonzales also has a "13" tattooed on his chin in the shape of a goatee.

Rest of the Story

FAIRBORN � A registered sex offender pleaded not guilty Friday, July 9, to disorderly conduct and resisting arrest charges from a July 3 incident that began after the Fairborn man asked a police officer where the �Little Miss Fairborn� pageant was so that he could take pictures.

Michael Lynn Light, who was arraigned in Fairborn Municipal Court, is listed by the Greene County Sheriff�s Office Website as a Tier II sex offender whose victim was a female child.

Looking for love in all the wrong places

A dine-and-dash escapade went bad when two of the fleeing diners left their purses behind:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ODD_DINE_AND_DASH_MISHAP?SITE=TXDAM&TEMPLATE=STRANGEHEADS.html&SECTION=HOME

Lesson #1: If you're going to do a dine and dash, pick a better place than a Waffle House!

After eating $39 worth of Waffle House grub--I'm surprised they had the energy to dash.

You know it's bad when you're getting mocked in the media instead of called the victim.

Career criminal hands over debit card, Texas ID card during bank robbery

Not surprisingly, his middle name is Wayne.

And, he got beaten up by a girl. *snicker*

An Arlington bank teller who first appeared to be a victim in a high-dollar robbery is accused of orchestrating the crime from the inside, even sending the man text messages telling him not to forget his sunglasses and warning about a co-worker who "screams at scary movies."

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local-beat/Texting-Bank-Teller-Accused-of-Working-With-Robber-103578959.html?dr

Two Cops Accused of Robbing Undercover Officer

Officers allegedly stole marijuana from undercover officer with intent to distribute

By DAVID CHANG
AP/NBC Philadelphia

Updated 12:15 PM EDT, Wed, Oct 6, 2010

Two Philadelphia police officers have been charged with criminal conspiracy, robbery, kidnapping, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, theft, and other related charges, according to officials.

Sean Alivera, 31, and Christopher Luciano, 23, allegedly robbed a supposed drug dealer of 20 pounds of marijuana with a street value of $24,000 as well as $3,000 in cash. It turns out that the man they thought was a drug dealer was actually an undercover officer.

Authorities also believe that the two planned to have the drugs redistributed on the street by an un-named drug dealer.

Full story here

Here's a guy who's under no illusion that he's not the brightest criminal around.

(I like the comments below - e.g., "Where's the pride? ... In the last great depression, people robbed with panache!")

quote:

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Paul Stoliker probably ranks high up there in the annals of not-so-smart bank robbery suspects. After all, it says so right on his alleged demand note: "Dumb Ass Robbing Bank."

It all started at 4:40 p.m. Tuesday when a man walked into the U.S. Bank on Second Avenue in downtown San Mateo, approached a teller and asked if there was an urgent care center nearby

The teller told him that Mills Health Center was just down the street "and asked the robber whether he was OK," FBI Special Agent Adrienne Sparrow wrote in an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco.

The man said everything was fine before showing the teller a piece of paper that said, "I'm unarmed," the affidavit said. He left with $1,330 in cash, but not before telling her, "I'm sorry I had to do this to you," according to Sparrow.

Just a half-hour later, the same man walked into the Chase Bank on South El Camino Real several miles away, authorities said. Again, the man asked the teller if he knew "where the closest place to obtain medical care was," Sparrow wrote.

The teller gave the man directions, whereupon he unfolded a demand note. The robber left with $3,230 in cash, the FBI said.

After learning that the robber had been seeking medical care, San Mateo police Sgt. Ryan Monaghan asked dispatchers to contact nearby urgent care centers, telling them to be on the lookout. Sure enough, a staff member at Immediate Care on North El Camino Real told police that a man fitting the robber's description was there and had asked whether he could obtain a prescription drug like Oxycontin or Vicodin, the FBI said.

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the article

I thought I'd celebrate with something funny - video included.

Robber robs convenience store with cop right behind him

Even better than holding up a convenience store with the cop right behind him - This guy who robbed the Wilmer PD.