Fugitive busted through Facebook pleads guilty
SEATTLE - A fugitive who was captured in Mexico thanks to some help from his Facebook page has pleaded guilty to fraud charges in Seattle.
Maxi Sopo fled to Cancun, Mexico, last year after learning he was under investigation.
For a while, investigators weren't sure where he was. But then Sopo began posting status updates on Facebook saying how much fun he was having - and he added a former Justice Department official to his list of Facebook friends.
"He was making posts about how beautiful life is and how he was having a good time with his buddies," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Scoville, who helped find Sopo.
U.S. authorities used the information to track him down and he was extradited to Seattle last month. On Thursday he pleaded guilty to bank fraud charges. Prosecutors said he and an associate falsely obtained more than $200,000 from Seattle-area banks and credit unions.
Even in the hold-nothing-back world of social networking, where police search Facebook photos for evidence of underage drinking and watch YouTube videos to identify riot suspects, it's rare that a fugitive helps authorities this much.
In status updates, Sopo said he was "loving it" and "living in paradise."
"LIFE IS VERY SIMPLE REALLY!!!!" he wrote in June 2009. "BUT SOME OF US HUMANS MAKE A MESS OF IT...REMEMBER AM JUST HERE TO HAVE FUN PARTEEEEEEE."
Sopo, a native of Cameroon who came to the U.S. in about 2003, made a living selling roses in Seattle nightclubs until, according to prosecutors, he moved on to bank fraud. He apparently drove a rented car to Mexico in February 2009 after learning that federal agents were investigating the fraud scheme.
Investigators initially could find no trace of him on social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, and they were unable to pin down his exact location in Mexico.
But several months later, Secret Service agent Seth Reeg checked Facebook again - and up popped Maxi Sopo. His photo showed him wearing a black jacket decorated with a white lion as he stood in front of a party backdrop featuring logos of BMW and Courvoisier cognac.
Although Sopo's profile was set to private, his list of friends was not, and Scoville started combing through it. He was surprised to see that one friend listed an affiliation with the Justice Department and sent him a message requesting a phone call.
"We figured this was a person we could probably trust to keep our inquiry discreet," Scoville said.
The former official told Scoville he had met Sopo in Cancun's nightclubs a few times, but did not really know him and had no idea he was a fugitive. The official learned where Sopo was living and passed that information back to Scoville, who provided it to Mexican authorities. They arrested Sopo last month.
The fugitive had been living at a nice apartment complex, working at a hotel and partying at Cancun's beaches, pools and nightclubs, Scoville said.
Prosecutors say he masterminded the bank fraud scheme with Edward Asatoorians, who was convicted by a federal jury in Seattle last year. Testimony at trial indicated the pair persuaded young co-conspirators to lie about their income to obtain loans for fabricated auto purchases, and then used the money to prop up Asatoorians' business and to take an expensive trip to Las Vegas.
Sopo previously was convicted of fraud in the United Kingdom. He is to be sentenced in August.
Maxi Sopo fled to Cancun, Mexico, last year after learning he was under investigation.
For a while, investigators weren't sure where he was. But then Sopo began posting status updates on Facebook saying how much fun he was having - and he added a former Justice Department official to his list of Facebook friends.
"He was making posts about how beautiful life is and how he was having a good time with his buddies," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Scoville, who helped find Sopo.
U.S. authorities used the information to track him down and he was extradited to Seattle last month. On Thursday he pleaded guilty to bank fraud charges. Prosecutors said he and an associate falsely obtained more than $200,000 from Seattle-area banks and credit unions.
Even in the hold-nothing-back world of social networking, where police search Facebook photos for evidence of underage drinking and watch YouTube videos to identify riot suspects, it's rare that a fugitive helps authorities this much.
In status updates, Sopo said he was "loving it" and "living in paradise."
"LIFE IS VERY SIMPLE REALLY!!!!" he wrote in June 2009. "BUT SOME OF US HUMANS MAKE A MESS OF IT...REMEMBER AM JUST HERE TO HAVE FUN PARTEEEEEEE."
Sopo, a native of Cameroon who came to the U.S. in about 2003, made a living selling roses in Seattle nightclubs until, according to prosecutors, he moved on to bank fraud. He apparently drove a rented car to Mexico in February 2009 after learning that federal agents were investigating the fraud scheme.
Investigators initially could find no trace of him on social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, and they were unable to pin down his exact location in Mexico.
But several months later, Secret Service agent Seth Reeg checked Facebook again - and up popped Maxi Sopo. His photo showed him wearing a black jacket decorated with a white lion as he stood in front of a party backdrop featuring logos of BMW and Courvoisier cognac.
Although Sopo's profile was set to private, his list of friends was not, and Scoville started combing through it. He was surprised to see that one friend listed an affiliation with the Justice Department and sent him a message requesting a phone call.
"We figured this was a person we could probably trust to keep our inquiry discreet," Scoville said.
The former official told Scoville he had met Sopo in Cancun's nightclubs a few times, but did not really know him and had no idea he was a fugitive. The official learned where Sopo was living and passed that information back to Scoville, who provided it to Mexican authorities. They arrested Sopo last month.
The fugitive had been living at a nice apartment complex, working at a hotel and partying at Cancun's beaches, pools and nightclubs, Scoville said.
Prosecutors say he masterminded the bank fraud scheme with Edward Asatoorians, who was convicted by a federal jury in Seattle last year. Testimony at trial indicated the pair persuaded young co-conspirators to lie about their income to obtain loans for fabricated auto purchases, and then used the money to prop up Asatoorians' business and to take an expensive trip to Las Vegas.
Sopo previously was convicted of fraud in the United Kingdom. He is to be sentenced in August.
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