A US fugitive Maxi Sopo, living abroad, has been busted via a series of Facebook updates.
Sopo made two critical mistakes. First, he posted updates sharing that he was living the high life in the Mexican resort of Cancun. Second, he started posting Facebook updates about how much fun he was having — and added a former Justice Department official to his list of friends.
In status updates, Sopo said he was “loving it” and “living in paradise.”
“LIFE IS VERY SIMPLE REALLY!!!!” he wrote on June 21. “BUT SOME OF US HUMANS MAKE A MESS OF IT…REMEMBER AM JUST HERE TO HAVE FUN PARTEEEEEEE.”
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Although Sopo’s profile was set to private, his list of friends was not, and Assistant US Attorney Michael Scoville started combing through it. He was surprised to see that one friend listed an affiliation with the Justice Department and sent him a message requesting a phone call.
The former justice department official whom 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.
The 26-year-old, Cameroon native is now in a Mexico City jail, where he is awaiting extradition to the United States on bank fraud charges. Sopo initially sold roses in Seattle nightclubs after arriving in the US in 2003. He then allegedly moved on to bank fraud.
US officials say Mr Sopo and an associate falsely obtained more than $200,000 in credit from banks.
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