January 2008

Craigslist murder target found bomb:
The details of Ann Marie Linscott’s stalking activity knows no bounds apparently.

Not only did she apply for a job in California at the same place her target of affection worked but a a soda bottle filled with gasoline was found in his and his wife’s apartment. The fuse on the soda bottle went out the window and all the way to the street. It’s alleged that these things happened six months prior to Linscott’s arrest for seeking a hitman on craigslist.

How does one with a job and a husband find time to engage in these activities?

Local women advertise ‘erotic services’ on Craigslist:
That’s Pennsylvania by the way. I could really go for some funnel cake.

Anyway police in Lancaster County are cracking down on local craigslist prostitution. Recently arrested was 26-yeqar-old Tavonia Silmon-Gray.

Harrisburg Police met the 26-year-old woman in downtown Harrisburg last Wednesday. After a high-speed car chase into York County, police charged her with prostitution and other counts.

Other arrests are expected to follow.

Thanks to Cindy for the tip.

Middle School Teacher Charged with Soliciting Sex on Craigslist:
The Bob Backlund looking dude over there is Thomas Eric Allen Jr. He’s a teacher at Canton Middle School in North Carolina. He’s been arrested for soliciting sex on craigslist from a 15-year-old boy. It seems that Allen placed a rather descriptive ad looking to ‘play around’ with a young guy. The 15-year-old who responded to the ad was actually detectives from the Waynesville, North Carolina Police Department .

Judge: ‘Hitman’ woman ’seriously troubled’:
A little more on our favorite hitman hiring stalker, Ann Marie Linscott.

You got to love it when an article starts out like this…

Weapons, bomb-making and disguise books and 11 computers were taken from the home of a woman accused of soliciting a hitman on Craiglist, prompting a judge to order her to stay behind bars while awaiting extradition to California.

11 computers? Even for someone as internet addicted as me that’s a little extreme. What the hell does she need with 11 computers? The weapons and all that other stuff are a little disturbing too.

And the story keeps getting even stranger…

Linscott apparently rendezvoused with the target’s husband at a magician conference in Reno, Nevada where they allegedly consummated their online relationship.

A magician huh? I wonder if he said “Want to see me make my wiener disappear ?”. I just made myself a little sick with that one.

It also seems that she’s not exactly what you would call remorseful…

While her home was being searched, Ann Marie - as she is known after legally changing her name in 2000 - was asked what she meant by “eradicate” the other woman.

“Duh,” she said. “To kill.”

Apparently she has the right to remain silent just not the ability.

‘Hitman’ woman had previous trouble:
Our favorite hitman seeking craigslist user has been in this kind of trouble before. Ann Marie Linscott has had previous trouble when it comes to men. Back in the 90’s it seems that she couldn’t keep her mitts off of a co-worker. It got so bad that the object of her affection had to take two restraining orders out on her. While married even back then she would send her co-worker flowers, send him love notes, and make physical advances on him. How would you like to see that coming at you? Anyway she became so obsessed that she would lurk around the guy’s house and spy on his wife.

So I guess hiring a hitman on craigslist doesn’t seem like much of a stretch for Ms. Linscott.

Thanks to Soobs for the tip.

Man accused of biting off part of prostitute’s ear:
A 54-year-old man from Shoreline, Washington arranged for a craigslist prostitute to come to his house. He paid the 44-year-old woman, but before they could do the do she moved towards the door to get better reception on her cellphone. The man thought she was trying to leave before providing her services so he bit a quarter-sized piece of her ear off. The woman fled to the hospital where she notified police. The piece of ear was found in the man’s trash can and doctors said they’re not sure that the ear could be repaired. The article didn’t specify what charges the man is facing.

It’s not just the johns that need to be worried about their safety it’s the working girls too.

I would love to know craigslist’s reaction to this crime but I imagine it would be something along the lines about how they’re not responsible for crime committed by their users and how they assist law enforcement blah blah blah blah.

Pomona Craigslist prostitutes busted:
Another undercover sting. This time in Pomona, California.

The arrested suspects were:
# Tristan Murray, 23, of Riverside;
# Kelly Miles, 23, of Pomona;
# Carla Boles, 28, of West Covina.
# Samantha Baldonado, 20, of Arizona;
# Dan Hahn, 34, of Pomona;
# Maria Morales, 31, of Cudahy;
# Michael Battle, 20, of San Bernardino;
# Karina Mitchell, 19, of Montebello;
# Eliseo Cabrera, 27, of Pomona;

Raritan Boro prostitution sting nabs 4:
Undercover police in Raritan, New Jeresy arrested 4 in a craigslist prostitution sting.

Arrested on prostitution charges were Totsian Hardgrove, 37, of Glen Gardner and Barbara Washington, 20, of Toledo, Ohio.

In addition, Patrichar Daley, 21, of Jersey City was charged with promoting prostitution. Racquel Castillo, 20, of Swanton, Ohio, was charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Just another day on craigslist.

FBI: Craigslist Used In Murder-For-Hire Case:
49-year-old Ann Marie Linscott of Grand Rapids Michigan was arrested for placing an ad looking for a hitman on craigslist.

The ad she placed offered $5,000 to “eradicate” an Oroville, California woman.

The woman in question was the wife of a man she was having an online affair with. The pair had actually met in person on more than one occasion.

I wonder if they found a dead rabbit on her when she was arrested.

Thanks to Soobs for the tip.

Craigslist founder endorses Obama:
This is just an article about how Craig Newmark, the founder of craigslist, endorses Presidential candidate Barack Obama. I’m not going to get political here at CCL but I have to wonder how Mr. Obama feels about being endorsed by a man who facilitates human trafficking.

Man accused of selling fake Packers tickets:
41-year-old Kenneth Lee of Chicago was arrested for selling fake tickets to the NFC Championship game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. For those of you that don’t follow football it happened last weekend and the Green Bay Packers lost to the New York Giants. Of course he was selling them through craigslist.

And apparently you don’t mess with the NFL because he’s looking at 30-years.

7 arrested in local prostitution string:
Reader Mike sent me this article which contains possibly the greatest quote on a craigslist hooker bust ever.

Three police departments from Massachusetts, Seekonk, Swansea and East Providence, set up a craigslist hokker sting in Seekonk that netted 7. We then have this quote from a local officer…

Sgt. Anthony Araujo said yesterday that no other details were immediately available on how exactly craigslist and Motel 6 figured into the sting.

If neither the police nor the media can figure that out they may want to educate themselves better on craigslist, as Mike said to me.

For those of you keeping score…

The police arrested the following women, charging each with sexual conduct for a fee: Felicia Lebrun, 19; Christina Tamburello, 24; Emily Duhamel, 30; Tajuana Littlejohn, 20; Philippa Hartmayer, 25; Nicole Woods, 24, and Chanel Evora, 24.

Dirty Dozen: ‘Craigslist’ Hooker Ring Busted:
Police in Westland, Michigan broke up a craigslist prostitution ring involving at least a dozen prostituted that were run by one couple.

Police were tipped off by a 16-year-old who was working for the pair. There’s that victimless crime again.

Remember kids even if prostitution is legalized doesn’t mean it will stop child prostitution.

Port Angeles man accused of Craigslist scam:
A scammer from Port Angeles, Washington was arrested in Seattle for buying jewelry over craigslist with phony checks. It seems that the suspect portrayed himself as a jeweler complete with the eye piece thingy and everything. He would have gotten away with it too if it wasn’t for those meddling kids, I mean sucker, I mean responsible and thoughtful citizen.

One man from Snoqualmie, Wash. was selling an engagement ring on craigslist for $5,400 and met with the phony jeweler who offered him $5,200 and paid with a business check. Of course the check turned out to be phony. The wronged man then e-mailed everyone on his local craigslist that was selling jewelry to be on the look out for this charlatan.

Someone from Seattle made contact with the phony jeweler and set up a ting where else? Why Starbucks of course.

When he showed up police promptly arrested him. He now sits in jail on charges of first degree theft, financial fraud, forgery and unlawful issuance of a bank check.

Remember folks, cash only.

Craigslist Foundation Donates $1.6M To UC Berkeley:

Craigslist, the popular community networking Web site, has donated $1.6 million to the University of California, Berkeley, to help create the first endowed professorship at its 5-year-old Berkeley Center for New Media.

The mission of the center is to advance new media in the public interest, and to explore the effect of new media on culture, said engineering Professor Ken Goldberg, who was appointed director of the center in July.

I wonder how far that money would have gone towards the effort to stop the human trafficking that their site facilitates.