Posting pictures of your food to Instagram at an infuriating rate isn't a crime per se, but when you do it in the midst of an identity theft spree, it reflects poorly on all of the law abiding food porn addicts. Plus, the IRS is bound to catch up with you.
Tiwanana Tenise Thomason and Nathaniel Troy Maye allegedly stole 700,000 identities, but it was a picture of a meal at Morton's that led to their arrest. The FBI had been watching them since they bragged about their scam to an informant while at the YOLO Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
The informant set up a meeting with them at Morton's two days later to discuss their method of stealing identities. Who knew Morton's was where criminals held business meetings? Anyway, the duo brought a flash drive containing identities used to file bogus income tax returns.
Secret data on the drive linked it to Maye, and the FBI immediately found his Instagram account through a Google search. Maye's public account contained a picture of the meal with the caption "Morton's," and agents found another photo of Maye just to confirm that it was him.
Last week, Maye and Thomason pleaded guilty to possession of unauthorized access devices and aggravated identity theft. If convicted, they both face up to 12 years in prison. Criminals: if you have a social media profile (which you shouldn't), at least make sure its private.
[via Gawker]
RELATED: The Instagram Food Debate: Why You Shouldn't Shoot Where You Eat
RELATED: The Instagram Food Debate: Why People Complaining About Food Pics Can Choke
