Washington

Police arrest robbery suspect who made floating escape:

Remember the bank robber who used craigslist to enlist decoys? He’s allegedly been caught.

Police arrested 28-year-old Anthony Curcio for the robbery of an armored car in Monroe, Washington. If you’ll recall he used a craigslist ad that said he was hiring workers and for all of them to show up wearing…

“Yellow vest, safety goggles, a respirator mask… and, if possible, a blue shirt,

Then when all hell broke loose he was able to make his escape by allegedly intertubing down the Skykomish River.

A citizen found items in the trash that were used in the robbery and noticed a silver SUV speeding off. The citizen wrote down the license plate and gave it to police.

Bellevue man charged with rape:

Authorities believe that 27-year-old Sasidhar Vanapalli of Bellevue Washington by way of India is responsible for the rapes of two craigslist escorts.

Police believe that Vanapalli posed as a police officer to force the women into having sex with him.

Since Vanapalli is an Indian national prosecutors have requested that his passport be seized.

Teen sentenced to juvenile detention for killing man who paid her for sex:

A 16-year-old craigslist prostitute was sentenced to juvenile detention for the fatal stabbing of a Kent, Washington man.

Prosecutors say that there was a possibility that the man attacked the girl who was 15 at the time.

Jeanette Pena, the ex-wife of victim Francisco “Noe” Pena, told the girl, “you took my best friend of 26 years. I don’t think you understand what you have done … He was a very good man.”

I hate to speak ill of the dead but if he was getting underage hookers he wasn’t as good a man as you hoped.

According to the girl Pena wouldn’t let her leave without having sex.

The girl has an extensive criminal record but no charges for prostitution.

The girl’s maternal grandmother said in an interview that the girl struggled with a difficult childhood and had mental and dependency problems that were never addressed by the juvenile courts system.

But no one in this story could be considered a victim right? Or how about everybody in this story is a victim?

Woman who helped bust Everett cyberpimp will serve a week in jail:

Our favorite pimp who was paying child support to 8 kids is back in the news, sort of.

The woman who help build a case against Jerome Eugene Todd has been sentenced herself. 22-year-old Kelsey Lynn Kirschman was sentenced to a week behind bars and 3 months of house arrest on a charge of conspiracy to engage in money laundering. Kirschman pleaded guilty to that charge. She was given a light sentence due to her cooperation with authorities and the abuse she received at the hands of Todd. But she’s not a victim right?

Thanks to Minerva for the tip.

Bank car robber escapes on Skykomish River:

A man who robbed a bank in Monroe, Washington used craigslist to set up an elaborate escape.

He took out an employment ad on craigslist and told people who responded to it to all show up in the same clothes. They were all told to wear a safety vest, safety goggles, a respirator mask and a blue shirt. That just happened to be what the bank robber wore.

Police are investigating the craigslist link.

However like I’ve said before it shows how unreliable even the paid job ads are.

Everett man gets 26-year prison term for pimping:

Do you remember Washington state pimp Jerome Todd? He was the one who was pimping out women on craigslist so he could pay child support to 13 Children by 8 different mothers if my memory serves me correct.

Now he’s got 3 more dependents. A judge ordered him to pay $70K to the three women he was pimping out. Plus a pesky 26 years behind bars.

Be Leery Of Craigslist Contractors:

KIRO TV in Washington State seems to have caught a craigslist scammer in the act. Unfortunately it was after a viewer had already lost $1300 to the less than reputable contractor.

A contractor calling themself Copper Creek Restorations/Copper Creek Renovations advertised their business on craigslist. They allegedly posted valid license numbers except the license number wasn’t theres. They also misled people by claiming to be a division of a reputable construction company.

A woman paid them $1300 to build a fireplace and they never finished the job and have basically refused all calls.

They are being investigated by the state’s L&I board.

15 arrested in Craigslist sex sting:

15 people have been arrested in a craigslist hooker sting in Snohomish County, Washington. 10 hookers and 5 johns were arrested in the sting.

And guess what kids, two of the ten were under 18. Yet some of you refuse to believe their victims of prostitution because you have it in your mind that they’re somehow separate from other acts of prostitution. Somehow you justify it to yourself so you don’t feel guilty about your irresponsible lifestyle when the reality is prostitution is a lot more than just paying for sex. It’s also child prostitution and human trafficking but try not to think about that the next time you’re in some dive motel or run down massage parlor trying to get your happy ending.

Thanks to Bonnie for the tip.

Port Angeles man charged in jewelry scam:

Back in January I posted about a fake jeweler with fake checks who did his craigslist business out of a Starbucks.

It turns out he is 33-year-old Scott Schindler of Port Angeles, Washington. Yesterday he was charged with two counts of first-degree theft in Snohomish County. He’s already pleaded guilty to four counts of theft in King County.

No word on what his sentence could be but I doubt it will stop him.

14-year-old girl among prostitutes caught in Craigslist sting:

A craigslist hooker sting in Pierce County, Washington turned up three juveniles working within the ring.

One was a 14-year-old girl and another was on the FBI’s list of missing and sexually exploited children.

And why is this a ‘victimless’ crime?

Gang members wanted for Craigslist ad assault arrested:
Last week I posted about gang members Tuan Q. Vuu and Keith E. Brakes who were wanted for the shooting, stabbing, and robbery of an Olympia, Wash. craigslist seller. Last I heard they were still on the run. That much has changed. Vuu and Brakes were picked up police sometime last week.

The attack might have been a “setup” — a retaliation by members of the True Brothers, or “Tin Bahn,” gang in Olympia who thought the victim had robbed their friends in Tacoma, police said.

Police also believe 16-year-old Jimmy Trac who was already in police custody was the getaway driver.

Man Accused of Pimping His Child Support:
I can’t do the original article any justice but let me give you a brief rundown. According to investigators in Everett, Washington some dude was pimping out women by coercion to pay his baby mamas child support, all eight of them.

The story is tragic and darkly funny at the same time.

Read the article to get the full brunt of it.

Arrest alleges prostitution:
Arrested was 29-year-old Kari L. Kidde. She offered ’services’ on craigslist, cops set up the meeting, she gets arrested.

Seven Craigslist escorts arrested in Lynnwood hotel sting:
This was a craigslist prostitution sting that took place in Lynwood, Wash. It was brought about from complaints from hotel owners that were tired of hookers using their rooms to ply their trade. What makes this particular sting unusual is that it was conducted jointly with several local police agencies, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the FBI and U.S. Navy police.

The women ranged in age from 19 to 37. All were residents of Snohomish County. They were cited for solicitation.

With that many badges it sounds like they weren’t kidding around.

Woman Targeted By Fake Craigslist Ad Offering Sex:
A woman by the name of Rochelle from Mill Creek, Washington had an ad placed on craigslist with her picture and cell phone number advertising “erotic services”. The thing is Rochelle did not place the ad and is not a prostitute.

Whoever posted the ad used an image of Rochelle from her MySpace.com page alongside an image of an anonymous nude woman.

Rochelle’s MySpace page is set to private so she suspects whoever did this had access to her page and cell phone number and has access to someone she knows.

And yes, this is against the law…

In 2006 Congress passed a federal cyber-stalking law, and in 2004 the Washington State Legislature passed a similar state law after a Seattle woman was stalked online by an ex-boyfriend.

Again craigslist’s anonymity practices lead to criminal practices.