October 2007

Police Bust Alleged Craigslist Hookers:
Same old story. Bensalem police used the ads on craigslist to set up a prostitution sting that netted them six arrests.

The hook to this story is the mugshots. I dare you not to recoil in horror at the mugshot slideshow.

Craigslist Ad Leads To Hate Mail:
Even if you’re trying to use craigslist for charity you get harassed.

Leah Galindo’s brother David had to evacuate because of the Southern California wildfires. They lost everything. So Ms. Galindo decided to start up a charity drive for her brother’s family on craigslist. Did she get a wad of cash from good Samaritans? Of course not, this is craigslist we’re talking about.

“I got hate mail, saying that I was a scam artist and I’m trying to take advantage of the families,” said Galindo.

Galindo replied to every message by sending pictures of what used to be her brother’s home but because so many people complained, the Web site pulled her listing.

“I think how it’s really going to hurt the family who really are in need,” said Galindo.

She would have been better off using Facebook.

Bail set at $1 million for suspect in craigslist killing:
Bail was set at $1M for suspected craigslist killer Michael John Anderson. He’s the suspected killer of Katherine Ann Olson whose body was found a day after she responded to a phony employment ad on craigslist. It’s alleged that Anderson was the one who took out the ad.

An additional detail mentioned in the article is that they believe that Anderson shot her in the back of the head with a .357 Magnum.

Police believe Olson was killed in Anderson’s house sometime after she arrived Thursday morning. Investigators found blood splatters in the man’s bedroom and on his mattress, as well as bloody drag marks down the stairs of the home.

They also discovered a .357 Magnum and a shell casing from the gun in his room.

During Olson’s autopsy, a bullet was found in her stomach.

Authorities said there is no initial evidence of a sexual assault, but final results are not in, police said.

The man initially denied having contact with the woman, but eventually admitted to being present when she was killed. He said a friend killed Olson because he “thought it would be funny.”

At a press conference after the bail hearing, police claimed that only Anderson was involved in the killing.

More details as they become available.

Charges expected Tuesday in Craigslist killing:
Craig Newmark, the founder of craigslist, had the following to say about the murder of Katherine Ann Olson.

The founder of Craigslist.org believes that Olson’s death is the first killing ever linked to the website.

“I can’t recall a single case like it,” Craig Newmark told KARE 11 News. “This is the worst that I can recall.”

“I’d just like to express my condolences,” Newmark said by phone from California Sunday. “This is a real tragedy and we’re more eager than ever to help deal with the bad guy.”

Newmark says Craigslist works closely with authorities to investigate crimes tied to the website. Those crimes include identity theft cases, scams, robberies and sex crimes.

Does he not see anything wrong with the fact that these crimes are happening on his website?

Craigslist users wary after killing of baby-sitter:
Susan MacTavish Best of craigslist had the following to say about the murder of Katherine Ann Olson…

“We were shocked and saddened to hear of this terrible tragedy, and our deepest sympathies are with the victim’s family and friends,” said Susan MacTavish Best, a spokeswoman for craigslist, an international network of online communities that features free classified advertising.

Best said there’s never been a homicide linked to craigslist since it was founded 12 years ago.

“Assuming the craigslist link is confirmed, this would be the first time,” Best said, referring to Olson’s death.

Best said craigslist officials work with law enforcement whenever they receive a request, but she wouldn’t comment specifically about their involvement in the Olson investigation.

I bet you think I’m going to rip her again but I’m not. Unlike when defending the erotic services section Ms. MacTavish-Best did not use this as an opportunity to tout how great craigslist is. However this may not be the first craigslist murder. In a sort of twisted backwards way but with no disrespect meant towards anyone involved there is still the matter of Donna Jou.

Donna Jou went missing in July and was last seen leaving on a date with a guy by the name of John Burgess that she met on craigslist. Unfortunately as of yet she has not been found and even less unfortunately police are unable to charge Burgess with anything due to lack of evidence. However it’s entirely possible that Donna Jou may be the first craigslist murder.

Now you may thing that there’s a difference between answering a personal ad and a job ad on craigslist. There is but only slightly. Predators don’t usually use job ads to attract victims but it’s not unheard of.

This past July I posted a story at MyCrimeSpace about a woman who was approached sexually by a man she thought was a prospective employer.

I guess what I’m saying is that since criminal elements lurk in the rest of craigslist it was only a matter of time before they seeped into the employment ads as well. So no matter what kind of ad you’re placing or responding to on craigslist it doesn’t hut to be overly cautious. The old saying holds true here, just because you’re not paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you.

Be careful out there.

Online nanny ad ends in slaying:
The employment ads on craigslist used to be the only trustworthy part of their site. They’re the only paid ads on the site. Those days are now over.

Katherine Ann Olson was a 24-year-old from Minneapolis who had used craigslist many times before to find nanny jobs. It seemed that the last one she answered was no different. That was until her body was found in the trunk of her car Friday night. She had responded to an ad looking for a nanny that she thought was placed by a married couple in Savage, MN. The ad was actually placed by a 19-year-old man who police believe is her killer.

Police aren’t releasing the suspect’s name or how Katherine Ann Olson was murdered. The suspect must be one sick SOB to take a paid ad out on craigslist just to kill an innocent woman.

I’ll post more information as it becomes available.

UPDATE: Being the expert blogger that he is Steve Huff has a more detailed post and the name of the suspect which is Michael John Anderson.

Date gone bad in Campbell:
Donna Lovell of the San Jose Mercury News has a great story about a craigslist ‘date’ gone wrong. It’s very funny.

Caught on Craigslist:
That happy couple are 40-year-old Edward Green and 26-year-old Megan Morris of Aurora, Illinois. They’ve been charged with a running a house of prostitution. Of course they advertised their wares on craigslist but again the offer of prostitution wasn’t all that it seemed.

Green and Morris were charged after one potential customer said he was robbed at Green’s apartment.

According to police, the man had found a listing for illegal sexual services on Craigslist, a Web site that offers online classified ads ranging from apartment listings to furniture swaps.

The victim went to the apartment for sex but instead was mugged by two men, police said. The victim then complained to police.

You would think that robbing johns would be the perfect crime but there’s always somebody that has big enough ones to turn the criminals in.

And again this should serve as a warning to those wanting to do “erotic business” on craigslist. Get hurt or get arrested, your choice.

Stolen trailer finds its way back to Boy Scouts:
This is lower than low. A gopher looks at this story and goes “Damn, that’s low.”

Some nefarious cretin stole an equipment trailer from a Minnesota Boy Scout troop, with all their gear still inside. Where did it end up? Why craigslist of course. However the story has a somewhat happy ending. The man who bought the trailer from the crook discovered that it was a Boy Scout trailer and returned it to the scouts.

However the Scout’s equipment is still gone, the craigslist buyer is out $1,600, and the perp is still at large.

10 women arrested in prostitution sting:
Dateline, Dublin. California that is. Police arrested 10 craigslist/SFRedbook hookers. For those of you not in the know, like I was until 5 seconds ago, SFRedbook describes itself as escort reviews, massage parlor reviews, and strip club reviews for the San Francisco Bay Area.

It’s pretty much the usual. Cops contacted them through their ads, money was exchanged, hookers were arrested.

Three suspects are also facing possible immigration violations.

Ah yes, the American Dream. Come to America and be a possible sex slave.

3 from Orlando Weekly’s staff charged with aiding prostitution:
The Orlando Weekly can best be described as an “alternative” newspaper along the lines of The Village Voice. The Orlando Weekly accepts advertising for escort services. Because of that the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation in Orlando have arrested 3 of their advertising employees.

The MBI accuses the Orlando weekly of designing ads that would hide alleged illegal activity from police. MBI sent in undercover agents posing as proprietors of an escort service and allegedly made no bones about their illegal business. The Orlando Weekly has been harshly critical of MBI for targeting adult businesses.

MBI agents arrested director of classified advertising Jarrell B. Martin, 43; line account executive Katherine Casey Miller, 27; and display account executive Christopher M. Whiting, 37, while they were working at a job fair sponsored by the Weekly at the downtown Marriott Hotel.

Now some of you may think I’m happy about this but I’m not. This is not the way I would like to see prostitution ads not only removed from craigslist but also from these alternative newspapers. I do not want to see newspaper employees or craigslist employees arrested. Personally I think the MBI is grossly incompetent by arresting newspaper employees. The advertisements aren’t a law enforcement issue. The advertisements should be removed due to readers or other advertisers.

I seriously hope someone at the MBI loses their job over this.

Oldest Profession Has Young Victims, New Methods: Ann Woolner:
This is a great article about Atlanta’s perceived problem with child prostitution and what police are doing to combat it. Of course craigslist is brought into the conversation because Mayor Shirley Franklin previously called craigslist on the carpet for facilitating child prostitution.

The author of the article, Ann Woolner, tried to contact craigslist about this and was met with the usual response.

I tried to contact craigslist Chief Executive Officer Jim Buckmaster to ask whether he had instituted any reforms since Franklin wrote him in August seeking closer monitoring, more stringent warnings and a tougher attitude toward those who advertise illegal services or otherwise break the Web site’s rules. Questions e-mailed to a press contact for Buckmaster weren’t answered.

How long will craigslist continue to stick its fingers in its ears and go “LALALALALALALALALALALALA I’M NOT LISTENING”?

Jags Fan: “I was Scammed On Craigslist”:
Jim Smith and his wife are huge Jacksonville Jaguar fans. So he was pretty pumped when he found cheap season tickets on craigslist. They went to the first two games of the season with no problem but at the third game there was someone else in their seats and were told by Jaguars management that their tickets were no longer valid. How did it happen?

The original buyer from Craigslist had bought the season tickets on an installment payment plan. When he missed a payment he was put on notice. When he stopped paying, the Jaguars notified him that the tickets were voided in the computers. The seats would be put up for sale to a new buyer.

The Jacksonville Beach man was ordered to surrender the now worthless tickets back to the team, but instead, he posted them on the internet to find an unsuspecting buyer.

When I say cheap season tickets I mean cheaper than their value. Mr. Smith is out $900. Mr. Smith himself had the best advice.

“Craigslist is pretty much, ‘Buyer Beware!’”

Police: Stripper-Involved Death Was Self-Defense:
So these two guys in Orlando get a “stripper” from craigslist except the stripper was there for more than stripping. According to the article she was scoping out the house for her partner in crime to rob. Her partner showed up at the house with a gun in order to rob it. However the gunman didn’t think his cunning plan all the way through because one of the guys from the house had his own gun. The guy opened fire killing the suspect.

No matter which side of craigslist you’re doing business on you may get more than you bargained for. In this case I’m sure the criminals didn’t bargain on death.

Thanks to Brian for the link.

Familiar face applies for escort license:
You all renmember Tonya Karimi don’t you? She was the woman from Hartland, Wi that was arretsed on, what else, prostitution charges and was one of the first stories I posted here at CCL.

It seems she’s trying to become a “legitimate businesswoman”. I use the quotes because seriously, how legitimate are escort services anyway? Ms. Karimi has applied for an escort’s license in the city of Pewaukee, WI and she’s the first person to do so.

City of Pewaukee police have reviewed her application and conducted a required background check. If approved, Karimi would have to present her escort license if requested by officers and any situation where she was working as an escort in the city must remain inside legal boundaries of the ordinance.

Here’s the part I don’t get…

Karimi paid the $250 application fee and will be reviewed by the council, which was notified along with city police and fire chiefs and the building inspector’s department, according to the 20-page escort and escort service license application from the city.

Why in the hell do the fire chief and building inspector’s department have to be notified? In case they need a date?

No word yet on whether she’ll advertise on craigslist again.

UPDATE: FAIL.