Idiots Sent to Jail by Social Media Posts

From thieves taking selfies on stolen phones to wanted criminals showing up in YouTube videos, here are some of the biggest idiots who got sent to jail by social media posts.

Wife's Instagram Post Got A Fugitive Drug Lord Arrested

Brazilian businesswoman Andrezza de Lima loved to post vacation selfies with her husband on Instagram. But when your husband is a highly wanted criminal, that’s not the best idea. Since at least 2012, Andrezza’s husband, Ronald Roland, had run a sprawling money laundering scheme with the Mexican cartel, laundering over $900 million in just 5 years.

And Andrezza wasn’t much better she was both aware of and involved in her husband’s illegal activity, even allowing a bikini store she owned to be used for some of the money laundering. All the while, she regularly uploaded pictures of them travelling to places like Paris and Dubai to her Instagram complete with geotagged locations and recognizable landmarks.

You won’t be surprised to know that the authorities were using those posts to track the couple’s every move. By 2024, they’d pinpointed their location to a condominium in the coastal town of Guaruja it was time to strike. In the dead of night, a SWAT team bust down their door and took them both into custody. They also seized 34 luxury cars, two private jets, high-end watches, weapons, and numerous wads of cash.

The craziest thing is that it wasn’t the first time that had happened to Roland! Back in 2019, he was arrested for a similar situation in São Paulo after his previous wife tagged their location on social media. Clearly, he goes for girls as idiotic as he is. That time, he’d been released after just a year but after that, something tells me he’s going to be spending a lot more time behind bars.

Suspect Posts Evidence Of Bank Robbery

Bank robberies are always made out to look super high octane in the movies. But when 23 year old Dominyk Alfonseca walked into a bank in 2015 and handed the teller a handwritten note, he had something else entirely in mind. The note said for her to give him $150,000 and to please not sound the alarm until a minute after he’d left the bank. It was signed with a smiley face. Worried that if she didn’t comply the situation would escalate, the teller handed over the cash.

Dominyk left the bank with his ill-gotten gains but for some insane reason uploaded a picture of the note to Instagram alongside 2 videos he took during the robbery! Unsurprisingly, he was arrested that same day. But don’t worry, he had an airtight defence. He claimed it didn’t count as a robbery because he didn’t demand the money; he’d just asked politely.

No amount of politeness would get him out of what came next. Our gentleman bank robber was sentenced to 2 years and 11 months in jail. But what were the Instagram posts for? The answer is even dumber than you’d expect. Dominyk was a small-time rapper and had orchestrated the whole thing as a kind of PR stunt. He later confessed that he’d hoped the robbery would get the attention of artists like Jay-Z and Lil Wayne and propel him into stardom.

Caught During Live Scream

Here’s a quick tip for any wannabe criminals reading: If you’re ever being hunted by the police, don’t start a live stream. 20 year old Kevin Gaines Jr ended up learning that lesson the hard way back in 2018. Despite being on the run for Grand Theft Auto and a host of other offences, he decided it was a good idea to start streaming on Instagram Live. Little did he know that at that moment, the cops were practically on his doorstep.

Caught on Instagram Live by Volusia Sheriff's Office

After spotting Kevin’s vehicle parked outside, deputies surrounded the house while another officer watched the livestream from his phone. To check it was definitely the right place, the cop shone his flashlight through the window. Sure enough, Kevin’s head snapped round in shock as the light pierced into his room something the cops could see from the livestream. Kevin quickly shut off Instagram, but it was too late.

Deputies rushed the house, and after a brief argument with the other tenants, Kevin stepped out and was taken into custody. There went his chances at a promising streaming career.

Teenagers Arrested For "Door Kick Challenge"

We’ve all known about some absurd TikTok trends over the years, but this next one takes the cake. In June 2024, two 15 year old kids in Hernando County, Florida decided a great use of their time was to take part in the ridiculously named Door Kick Challenge, which is just as stupid as it sounds.

Two Teenagers Arrested for Dangerous 'Door Kick Challenge' on TikTok by TheHollywoodMash

That’s all the so-called “challenge” is kicking people’s doors and running away. And believe it or not, after filming themselves kicking in the door of that house, the kids went on to do it to three others in the space of two weeks, all within walking distance of where they lived. Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t long before they were both caught and arrested.

Apparently, those two numb nuts had seen the trend online and wanted to do it for themselves, neglecting to think about how ridiculously brainless it was. Not only were they disturbing the peace, they could’ve easily been shot by some frightened homeowner and that would’ve been much worse than the four burglary charges they faced instead.

Burglar Takes Selfie On Stolen Mobile

For most people, the worst thing a bad selfie could do is dent your confidence. For British burglar Ashley Keast however, it would do a whole lot worse. Back in 2013 Ashley broke into and ransacked a home in Brinsworth, England. He stole over $35,000 worth of goods, including a $3,000 Rolex, sentimental jewelry, and even an Audi A4. As if that wasn’t enough, he also snatched a SIM card from one of the victim's phones.

While the burglary had gone without a hitch, Ashley’s critical error came when he decided to insert the stolen SIM card into his own phone, snap a selfie, and then post it on WhatsApp. Only, because it wasn’t his SIM, it wasn’t his contacts. Unknowingly, he’d sent the picture to all of his victim’s friends and colleagues! Some of the people who received the random selfie quickly contacted both the original SIM owner and the police.

Ashley was arrested the next day and sentenced to 32 months in prison. But that’s not quite the end of his stupidity. In December 2014, he was caught trying to send a threatening letter to his victim from prison. Because of that, he was charged again and slapped with a further 4 years on his sentence. Never mind the selfie, he sure needs to self-reflect on his life choices.

Man In Charge Of Vault Steals $88,000

Sometimes, even criminals that appear to have at least 10 braincells will do something completely idiotic and prove they’ve got less. Take Arlando Henderson. In April 2019, Arlando started working at a Wells Fargo bank in Charlotte, North Carolina. But when nobody was around, he began sneaking into the vault and stealing money.

Despite taking only small amounts at first, Arlando’s confidence grew and it wasn’t long before he was stealing up to $13,000 in a single day. But he wasn’t just taking money recklessly. He covered his tracks by forging customer bank deposits, creating fraudulent deposit tickets and destroying legitimate bank statements.

After months of embezzling however, Arlando clearly wasn’t happy with the lack of recognition he was getting. So, he started uploading pictures on Instagram showing off his massive stacks of stolen cash. Then, for the cherry on top, he made a $20,000 down payment on a Mercedes-Benz, paid entirely in cash.

With purchases that big and money being flaunted so recklessly, it wasn’t long before the FBI started getting curious about where it was all coming from. Arlando was arrested in December 2019, and after a lengthy investigation, they discovered he’d taken over $88,000.

He was charged with 2 counts of financial institution fraud, embezzlement and misapplication, 12 counts of making false entries, and 19 counts of theft. With all that stacked together Arlando could wind up serving up to 40 years in prison.

Mafia Fugitive Caught After Posting Cooking Video

Imagine you’re an Italian police officer up late watching cooking videos. You’re half-dozing when suddenly something about the man on screen seems strangely familiar. His face is out of shot, but you’re sure you know him from somewhere. Then, it hits you. That tattoo on his arm is the same as one of Italy’s most wanted criminals.

Well, that’s more or less what actually happened back in 2021. Since 2014, alleged Mafia fugitive Marc Feren Claude Biart had been wanted for the trafficking of large quantities of a certain powder across Europe. It turned out that he’d been hiding out in the Dominican Republic and, in his spare time, made cooking tutorials with his wife. The fugitive was smart enough not to show his face, but eventually, an investigator recognized him by the distinguishing tattoo on his arm.

During a string of mob-related arrests, Marc was finally caught and charged for his crimes. Unfortunately, the name of his channel wasn’t released. I’d love to know what recipe he was cooking up that was so good it was worth risking jailtime for.

Livestreaming Drunk Driving

When it comes to stupidity, nothing beats driving drunk except maybe live-streaming yourself doing it. Yet, that’s exactly what Florida woman Whitney Beall did back in 2015. After a night out with friends, Whitney decided to get behind the wheel, but not before going live on Periscope.

Periscope drunk driver by William Bastone

In the footage she said “let’s see if I can get a DUI”. Quickly amassing over 50 viewers, people watched in shock as Whitney sluggishly chatted to her audience while struggling to keep on the road. Thankfully, multiple viewers dialed 911, kicking off a huge manhunt. After being alerted, one officer logged onto their personal Periscope account to watch her stream and look for distinguishing landmarks. And it worked!

Before long, police managed to pinpoint the intoxicated woman’s position and not a moment too soon. As they tried to pull her over, she drove straight into the curb without braking. Eventually she stopped the vehicle and, after failing several field sobriety tests, was taken into custody. The punishment was a 6-month license suspension, 12-month probation with 150 hours of community service plus 10 days of weekend work.

Posting Crime On Instagram

When you think of gun-toting, cash flashing you usually think of hardened criminals, right? Well, 17 year old David Guerra challenged that stereotype when he posted several snaps of himself in 2022 posing with cash, illegal substances, and guns. While that Instagram posturing might’ve got him a few likes though, it also got him some un-wanted attention.

Police received a tip about David’s suspicious pics, and he was soon located while driving. They searched his car, and both he and another passenger were found in possession of a loaded gun, cash, and oil from a certain wacky plant. Not that that was all they found.

After David was arrested, they searched his home and found three more guns as well as other illegal goods, including $15,000 in cash. For only 17, that kid had quite the stockpile. It seems he’d decided to abandon his homework in favor of selling certain illicit substances. That lack of homework is probably why he got himself into such a position in the first place.

David would be charged with possession of a controlled substance and unlawfully carrying a weapon. Let that serve as a PSA for all kids out there, it can be a very quick trip from social media outlaw to the back of a squad car.

Chick Bank Robber

You know how some people just can’t keep a secret? Hannah Sabata is that person taken to the absolute extreme. In a YouTube video she kookily titled “Chick Bank Robber”, then 19 year old Hannah confessed to multiple crimes in possibly the most noughties alt girl way possible.

By holding handwritten signs up to the tune of Warning by Green Day. As well as robbing a bank for the relatively low sum of $6,000, she also stole someone’s car which she proudly holds up the keys to. And she also fans herself with the aforementioned cash.

Chick Bank robber by Jellee Beanie

A note in the description says she planned to pay off her student debt and go on a shopping spree the next day. Sadly for her, neither of those things would come to pass. After posting the video in November 2012, she was quickly found in connection with the robbery of a Cornerstone Bank in Waco and the theft of a Pontiac Grand Am and arrested.

All but $30 of the stolen money was recovered and Hannah was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison. With her insane video now sitting at over 2 million views though, she’s become a minor internet celebrity. Maybe that offers some comfort during lonely nights inside her prison cell.

Teenager's Twitter Joke Aimed At American Airlines Goes Wrong

If you were going to make a list of social media dos and don’ts, posting bomb threats would be right near the top of my Don’t Pile. Some people apparently disagree though. In 2014, a 14 year old Dutch girl made a very ill-advised tweet to the official American Airlines Twitter.

In it, she wrote: “Hello my name is Ibrahim and I’m from Afghanistan. I’m part of Al Qaida and on June 1st I’m gonna do something really big. Bye.” If you know anything at all about airlines, it’s that they take any kind of terror threat incredibly seriously. And that was no exception.

American Airlines swiftly responded to the tweet, saying her IP address and details had been forwarded to the FBI. And, that changed her tone. She quickly tweeted back that the whole thing had been a joke made by her friend and plead for it not to go any further.

It seems even she knew the airline wasn’t going to buy it and turned herself in to the Rotterdam police the same day. Ultimately, she was charged with posting a false or alarming announcement, though the consequences of that aren’t public knowledge. Either way, she’s probably going to think twice before posting any more hilarious “jokes” online.

The Queen Of Tax Fraud

Anyone who labels themselves the “Queen of Tax Fraud” is clearly two things a criminal, and an egomaniac. But they could also be a complete idiot like our next villain.

Between 2009 and 2012, Florida resident Rashia Wilson ran an identity theft operation that defrauded the IRS out of millions of dollars. Working with her co-conspirator, Maurice Larry, the two con artists successfully stole over 3 million dollars filing fraudulent tax returns in other people’s names and collecting their refunds. For a 2-person operation, the amount of money they stole is huge.

When Rashia wasn’t stealing millions, she was guess what flaunting her wealth on social media. In one Facebook post, she declared herself the queen of tax fraud before stating “I'm a millionaire for the record, so if U think indicting me will B easy it won't . . ." Stealing all that money had clearly given her an insufferably inflated ego though I suspect she was insufferable before too.

Little did she know, both herself and Maurice had been under investigation by Tampa Police since 2010. It’s almost like suddenly splashing an absolute bomb of cash out of nowhere is suspicious behavior. Seriously Rashia spent an outrageous $30,000 on her daughter's first birthday party and bought an Audi valued at some $90,000.

By 2012 however, the game was well and truly up. Police had enough evidence to seize Rashia’s expensive car and a number of other ill attained goods, and arrested her. She was sentenced to 21 years in prison and presumably now goes by the moniker queen of the mess hall.

Man Caught Impersonating Police Officer Online

Anyone who’s used the internet for longer than ten minutes will tell you there are plenty of con artists out there. Ones who pretend to be cops is a new level of dunderhead.

In January 2024, a man named Sean Macdonald was arrested for posting photos of himself on social media wearing what seemed to be an official Austin Police Department uniform. After confirming that Macdonald had never worked in law enforcement, the Austin police took him into custody. But why was he posting the images in the first place? Apparently, it was a ploy to make himself seem more successful and attractive to the opposite sex.

One person alleged that after meeting Sean on a dating app, he’d claimed to be a police officer and sent them messages about police calls and incidents with other APD officers. Once, he’d even showed up at her house in full uniform saying he’d just returned from a double shift.

But the uniform was just a costume, and Sean had never worked for the police a day in his life. Luckily, officers stumbled across the images and, when they didn’t recognize the supposed officer, launched the investigation. It’s still ongoing, so we’ll have to wait and see how it plays out. But it shows that you can never truly trust anyone online.

Bank Robbers Post Photos On Facebook And Are Arrested

In 2015, the Savings Bank in Ashville, Ohio, was robbed. The man responsible was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and handed the teller a note demanding a heap of cash. After taking the money, he escaped on foot and wasn’t seen again. Because of a lack of leads, early investigations had little success. Then, less than a month later, police received a tip about somebody named John Mogan who was acting suspiciously. He was uploading pics of himself flaunting stacks of money on Facebook!

Bank Robbers Post Photos on Facebook are Arrested by New York Daily News

As if that wasn’t evidence enough, authorities discovered that John had only just been released from prison a month earlier, after serving a 5 year sentence. And he’d been incarcerated for, a bank robbery. Unsurprisingly, the police felt pretty confident that they’d found their perp.

There was only one problem all those facial tattoos. Nothing that distinctive had been reported by witnesses, or they’d have already caught him. But there was another twist to that tale, somebody else featured regularly in John’s cash-flaunting photos his girlfriend, Ashley Duboe.

The police suspected that Ashley was an accomplice to the crime and that she’d applied makeup to cover her boyfriend’s tattoos for the robbery. After taking the couple in, they were proved right. Both pled guilty, with John sentenced to 3 years on robbery and theft charges and Ashley 2 years on both complicity to robbery and complicity to theft.

Mizzy, The TikTok "Prankster"

There’s a very fine line between internet prankster and annoying douchebag. As you might’ve guessed, 19 year old Bacari-Bronze O’Garro was very much on the wrong side of that line. O’Garro, or “Mizzy” as he’s known online, was a British TikTok star who gained a following for stunts like tearing up library books and pretending to steal a woman’s dog. But O’Garro’s particular brand of outrageous prank video didn’t take long to get him in serious trouble. His first major brush up with the law was after he walked into a family's home without permission.

By trespassing on private property, he breached a community protection notice he’d been issued the year before for similar offences. O’Garro was arrested and given a criminal behavior order preventing him from posting videos on social media without written permission from the people involved. As you might expect, he took that order very seriously and managed to avoid breaking it for a staggering couple of hours! Yes, the same day he left the courthouse, he uploaded videos of himself in public.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, he and his friends broke into another person's home less than a month later. Except, unlike last time, they were chased out by an angry Alsatian. O’Garro would be arrested again, but this time he got a much worse sentence, 18 weeks in prison and a ban from making or featuring in any social media content for 2 years.

But are things really over? Upon being released in January 2024, for the first time the prankster appeared to show empathy. In an apology, he said “Don't go down the way that I went down, because look where it ended up.”

YouTube Stunt Turn Deadly

Outside of makeup tutorials and cats, the internet loves nothing more than crazy stunts. Unfortunately, that means some people take their stunts way too far to try and get clicks. A 22 year old Pedro Ruiz and his 19 year old girlfriend Monalisa Perez. Inspired by groups like Jackass and Nitro Circus, Pedro decided that in 2017 he was going to kick off a new stunt-driven YouTube channel with a bang, quite literally. On June 26th, Pedro and Monalisa recorded their first video.

Footage Released Of Intended YouTube Stunt That Turned Deadly by WCCO - CBS Minnesota

He explains they’d be testing the firepower of a 50 calibre Desert Eagle, one of the deadliest handguns in the world. How? By seeing if it was strong enough to punch through a copy of a hardback Encyclopedia. Only, in a push to get more views, Pedro added a life-threatening twist.

The twist was; Monalisa would be shooting at Pedro from just one foot away with nothing but a one and a half inch thick book to protect him. And, just so you know, 50 caliber bullets are the biggest a person can buy in the US. You can probably tell where that is going.

When the moment of truth came, Monalisa fired the shot and successfully hit the book. But, shocker, the 1.5-inch hardback wasn’t enough to stop the bullet. By the time police arrived, Pedro was already gone. If you thought that was traumatic enough, there’s the clincher the couple had a three year old child who they’d brought along to witness the horrific event. I honestly have no words.

Monalisa pled guilty to second-degree manslaughter and was sentenced to 6 months in prison, as well as being prohibited from ever owning a firearm again. That is a tragic story, but it could’ve been so easily avoided. Don’t play with guns, people.

I hope you were amazed at these idiots sent to jail by social media posts. Thanks for reading!