We all know that potential employers and ex-love interests are scoping out our Facebook profiles, but law enforcement? Really?
Really. If you’ve found yourself in hot water and social media is involved, contact a Milwaukee criminal defense attorney right away. You could be facing serious penalties, depending on the crime you’re being accused of committing, and working with a lawyer can help you tremendously through the entire process.
Social Media Can Be Your Worst Enemy
Police, detectives and even prosecuting attorneys can go straight to Facebook (or any other social media site, for that matter) and get the information they need to convict suspects of crimes. It’s important to know that the things you post on social media, even if your pages are set to “Private,” are never truly private.
Guilty: Social Media Posts that Resulted in Criminal Charges
- A Virginia boutique owner tracked down a pair of small-time shoplifters using Facebook, resulting in convictions.
- White-collar criminal Maxi Sopo high-tailed it for Mexico when he was running from bank fraud charges, but authorities located him after he made a series of Facebook posts about “living in paradise.”
- A college student was nailed with an underage drinking charge because an undercover officer posed as an attractive young girl to gain access to his personal photos.
There are hundreds of cases like these, including police using Facebook to track down people with warrants, that illustrate how genuinely damaging social media can be to any case.
While your Milwaukee criminal defense attorney will fight for your rights every step of the way, photos of yourself taunting law enforcement officials who are looking for you aren’t exactly what you want in the courtroom. Do yourself a favor and unplug from social media if you’re a suspect, if you’ve been accused, or if you’ve been charged with any type of crime.
