As a public service to people planning a felony (but will never read my blog) and also for entertainment of people who would never commit a felony, I have accumulated a few stories of people who really messed up their escapade by not quite thinking things through.
Extra special tip for your planning consideration: pay attention to the impact of technology.
Previous discussions:
- Friendly tip to people planning a felony: don’t do it. And if you still want to, you might want to avoid planning your escapade with the internet or your phone.
- More tips for people planning a felony. Don’t do it.
Here are a few more tips on how not to commit a felony, or in one situation how not to commit fraud:
Tip #13
This item doesn’t involve criminal charges, but it sure does fit with the theme of these posts…
Guy took some time away from basketball after college and playing pro on several teams in Europe. Wanted to join a team in Bosnia after his break.
The league requires a drug screening test. For reasons unknown, he used his girlfriend’s urine. Seems obvious to me that he wanted to hide something.
Urine test was clear for banned drugs.
However…
It did contain hCG.
That is a hormone produced during pregnancy.
Oops.
Sure do hope the positive pregnancy result was good enough news for the couple to outweigh the bad news of busting the drug screen.
He is now suspended until June 2020.
Silver lining to this story is his girlfriend knows he won’t be out of town at a game when the baby arrives.
Story on 8/5/19 from PJ Media: Basketball Player Uses Girlfriend’s Urine to Fake Drug Test, Finds Out He’s Pregnant.
Tip #14
About your pacemaker…
7/11/17 – Journal-News – Judge: Pacemaker data can be used in Middletown arson trial – A trial judge ruled that data from a man’s pacemaker may be used against him as evidence of his allegedly committing arson.
The man reported to police he was asleep when he awoke to a fire in his home. He quickly packed a few items into a suitcase, broke out a bedroom window, threw his bag out, then climbed out the window.
His house suffered around $400,000 damage during the fire.
Police, however, doubted his story and proceeded to get a search warrant for his pacemaker. Subsequent investigation by an expert witness shows a somewhat different story.
The investigator asserts the pacemaker data shows the man was awake before he claimed and that the heart activity was too calm at the moment he was supposedly exerting himself to gather belongings and climb out the window.
Police then charged him with aggravated arson along with insurance fraud. Trial in Middletown, Ohio is set for December 4, 2017. The alleged arson was in September 2016.
3/7/19 – Journal News – Is using pacemaker data ‘stealing personal information’? Judge in Middletown arson case says no. So the guy missed court a few days before his postponed trial. That was in March 2018.
After being found by the police, he was back in court in July 2018. He was still in jail until he raised $100,000 for bail.
His new attorneys asked the judge to toss the pacemaker info. Their claim is now doctor-patient privilege instead of invasion of privacy. Judge didn’t buy that line either, denying their motion.
Article says the defense plans an appeal to the 12th Circuit Court of Appeals. That will take months to resolve.
Didn’t find any stories more current that March ’19, so don’t know what his status is, other than probably still cooling his heels in jail.
Tip #15
Oh, about that tendency to overshare…
9/19/17 – Ars Technica – Most-wanted criminal arrested after posting Instagram video of himself – A guy wanted in Texas for suspicion of murder and a string of home invasion robberies decided to show off his weapons arsenal. He posted a video on Instagram of his weaponry.
Well, police in Texas noticed, supplied LAPD the GPS coordinates, with LAPD conducting a 2 a.m. raid. He fled but was captured after crashing a vehicle into a telephone pole.
He was on his way back to Texas at the date of the article.
A brief internet search did not show any articles giving an update on his status. I would guess that since he was on the Texas 10 most wanted list there was a fairly strong case against him and as a result he is now in free state-financed public housing on a very long term basis.