Facebook Posts Helped Sink Robbery Suspect
Probers say man telegraphed his felonious behavior
FEBRUARY 8--If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a thousand times: Your Facebook wall should never be used to announce your intention to engage in felonious behavior.
Because it will be used against you in a court of law.
Federal investigators this morning arrested a North Carolina man for allegedly robbing a United States Postal Service driver of $5600 during a heist late last year in Belmont, a city outside Charlotte.
Matthew Montgomery, 30, is scheduled to appear this afternoon in U.S. District Court on the felony robbery count. He was arrested this morning while visiting with his probation officer (Montgomery’s rap sheet includes convictions for grand larceny and burglary).
After federal agents identified Montgomery as a suspect in the robbery, they examined his Facebook page, which included the above photo of him posing with a thick wad of cash.
According to wall postings cited in an affidavit sworn by Mark Heath, a United States Postal Inspection Service agent, Montgomery wrote in August that “its time to go get that money rob work steel what ever.” In a September status update, he wrote that, “Life is fucked up u try to do right dont lie dont cheet and still shit happns now i got to go back to da old me to try to make it.” He added, “i dont wont to but me is all i have now.”
In his most recent wall post, Montgomery yesterday thanked friends for sending well wishes on the occasion of him turning 30 Monday. His wife’s Facebook page includes video of Montgomery dancing happily at his birthday party.
If convicted of the federal charge, Montgomery faces a maximum of 25 years in prison. (2 pages)
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