Criminal


Taser Caper Results in Prison for Father-Son Team

On June 20, Paul Crowell of Waukesha, Wisconsin, was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to "possession of an electric weapon," namely a Taser that he had stolen from a police officer. Crowell's father has pleaded guilty…


Poorly Faked Heart Attack Fails to Result in Mistrial

This story shows the importance of proper training before appearing in a courtroom, even (well, especially) if one has decided to represent oneself.  And depending on the strategy, acting lessons may be a good idea. Keison Wilkins may have thought…


Posner Affirms Conviction, Laments Ostrich Myth

On June 25, the Seventh Circuit affirmed the conviction of Conrad Black, one of several former newspaper executives found guilty last year of defrauding their company out of millions of dollars.  In a bad sign for the defendants, the opinion…



UPDATE: Both “Thong Bandits” in Custody

As predicted, the "disguises" employed by the Thong Bandits during their robbery of a convenience store in May did little to help them avoid arrest.  Police in Arvada, Colorado, announced last Friday that Joseph Espinoza and Joaquin Rico had turned…



Gallery of Bad Disguises, #4: The Thong Bandits

Before too long there will be enough material of this kind to create a separate category or gallery of Bad Disguises.  Previous candidates would include the Duct Tape Bandit and the Tree That Robbed a Bank, and to those we…



Everything’s Bigger in Texas — Including Bad Checks

Saying he was planning to start a record company, Charles Fuller tried to cash a large check at a bank in Fort Worth last week.  Problems with this story included: One does not normally start record companies using cash; and…