Cameroonian Fugitive busted after unwise Facebook friend request

GENE JOHNSON (Associated Press)

SEATTLE — Maxi Sopo was living the dream of a fugitive abroad, kicking back on the beaches of Cancun by day, partying in the clubs by night.

Then he did two things that are never a good idea when you're on the run from authorities: He started posting Facebook updates about how much fun he was having — and added a former Justice Department official to his list of friends.

That kind of recklessness landed the 26-year-old native of Cameroon in a Mexico City jail, where he is awaiting extradition to the United States on bank fraud charges. Federal prosecutors say he and an associate falsely obtained more than $200,000 from Seattle-area banks and credit unions.

"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. "He was definitely not living the way we wanted him to be living, given the charges he was facing."

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 on June 21. "BUT SOME OF US HUMANS MAKE A MESS OF IT...REMEMBER AM JUST HERE TO HAVE FUN PARTEEEEEEE."

Sopo, 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 late February 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.

Sopo does not yet have a lawyer, and it was not immediately clear how to contact him.

Prosecutors say he masterminded the bank fraud scheme with Edward Asatoorians, who was convicted by a federal jury in Seattle last week. 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.

Asatoorians is expected to face at least five years in prison when he's sentenced. If convicted, Sopo could face up to 30 years.

Citing privacy concerns, the former Justice Department official declined an interview request left with the U.S. attorney's office.

Scoville said it was someone who left the department when the Obama administration arrived, and who had been taking some time off and organizing student trips to Cancun.

Facebook was not Sopo's only computer activity during his time on the lam. An affidavit contains details from an instant-message conversation in March between Sopo and a low-level conspirator in the case. Sopo explained that he had fled to "the one safe place where i can actually think."

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

Comments

[Va Boy]

Yabassi Boy's brother?

Watch your ass, man.

[Pa Musa]

It doesn't matter if this crook is a frog or an Anglo. just call it what it is- a thief and a Cameroonian in that matter. If these charges are proven true just lock him up and throw the keys away.

[The Entrepreneur Newsoline]

Maxi Sopo is typical representation of the boisterious Cameroonian diaspora. It's just a matter of time, many others like him will find themselves behind bars, from forged certificates to forged result slips, forged bank statements and all sorts of twisted assertions and emigration motives. Its very strange how these same boisterous persons, with a dearth of group dynamics and have renegaded their contribution to nation building, accuse others of corruption and all ills in society, as if they are cousins and pals to Angels......time... time... time from Cancun to Seatle, Fort Laudadale to New Haven...time...time... will tell...

[not important]

why do u guys condemm him as if u were better and purer than him. stop throwing stones at him when all of u guys are not better. its not because urs has not yet been proven that u think ur better than him. bad people. why is that the whites and europeans that come this way and dupe us and take our money are never spoken of, but when a black steals from a white its all news. if u guys have nothing better to say then learn to mind ur own biz.

[ur head]

Mr.GENE JOHNSON (Associated Press) learn u mind ur biz, jealousy go kill u poor thing. if u no fit ur head get money then no put ur mouth for pple biz weh they get the head and the talents. u want ell me say u urself ne de tief. tief man na u go prison for 3yrs. make God no punish u.

[Va Boy]

Not the "representation of the boisterious Cameroonian diaspora". Most people are respectable.

[kamarad]

Maxi Sopo for President

[Ma Mary]

Yes kamarad, he is welcome be president of Republique Francais du Cameroun. There is precedence. Both Ahidjo and Biya have been rip off artists so it will be nothing new.

[Rev Jack Katika]

These are the kinds of people wey Give the few remaining good Cameroonians Bad name.

I no even sure good one still dey or e be don die since, soteeee dem burri am. I think say popol na im de breed all these caculess ti pipi.

[Danny boy]

The white man/woman steals from us to invest in his/her country! The Chinese are doing same now. What do we do when chanced to steal some of this money back? Go to Mexico!
How clever is that? Mortars and bricks in Cameroon, and the very investigators might turn up one day and ask but for a cut, and declare the trail cold.
There are smart ones in Cameroon today, enjoying! However, I do not encourage anybody to think they can get away with any scam! 99 % of the time justice gets it's way!
Petty thief or big thief, it is a phenomenon associated with globalization! Let those in charge rein in this monster called globalization, then one can talk earnestly!
In a better economic climate I will condemn such scams, but not just yet!

[Bob Bristol]

Whether the Europeans, the Americans and the Chinese are stealing from us or not do not give us the opportunity to condone such behaviour. I don't know whether some of you guys ever think of the devastating effect that the act of these few criminals is causing on the national reputation. National Reputation? I know most of you would say WHO CARES?. But if you've ever been turn down for a vacancy because of your nationality, if you've ever been denied access into certain residential areas or cast off for a draw because of your nationality, then you would know what these ROBBERS are doing to the innocent beginners.

The Europeans, the Americans and the Chinese are stealing and their countries are advancing. What are the economic proceeds Africa and Cameroon in particular has fastened from the little feymania that has become the order of the day. We mustn't be emulate the wrong example. Rather, we can be more protective.

[Angela]

The truth is that these thieves will steal from anybody. If they are in Cameroon, they would be scamming you. I hear people here saying that Europeans and Chinese come to Africa and steal, then get away with it. Let me ask you. If some idiot comes and rapes your family member, is the proper response to become a rapist yourself and rape his sister? What does that make you?

If Europeans and Chinese steal with impunity, it is our fault for having leaders bought and paid for by Europe. We ought to revolt and put accountable government in place. That is the real answer, and not to flood the world with misguided youth, who want an easy life with no work. I agree with Danny that Globalisation is not working for us and again it is brain dead leadership that squanders scarce resources in Europe.

[Danny boy]

Hi Bob,
our national reputation is measured by our standing within the league of the most corrupt countries in the world! For years, Cameroon has been languishing at the bottom of this economic and political rogue states!
If you and many others can not get that job and you think our reputation precedes us, think of your country's disreputable record when any economic or social parameter is put to the test! Not petty crooks putting sand into your garri, but seasoned kleptocrats!
If you have been reading the papers from London in the past week, I would wonder what you make of allegations concerning the PM and many others in Westminster caught cheating the taxpayer?
Then, the greedy bankers who brought to us this financial meltdown! Bonuses galore are on the uptake, despite the fact that these banks survival depended on the taxpayers bailing them out!
I do not condone scams, but let us refrain from making this a third world issue. Everybody is at it! They may call it by a different name, but you and I know it all amounts to the same thing---blue collar, white collar etc, "thief na thief".
The week-end is here.
Thank heavens.

[Bob Bristol]

Danny Boy,

Early this year, I visited The UAE, China and Thailand and from what I observed there, it's easier for citizens from other African Countries to get a job than for Nigerians or Cameroonians. The reason is simple. The havoc that Cameroonians and Nigerians have created in these countries range from brutal killings to human trafficking with feymania at the core of all.

I know that the verdicts or ratings of agencies like Transparency International have had major impact on national reputations world over. But the above mentioned countries had relatively lesser knowledge about us until these thieves invaded.

We have failed governments in several countries but this only undermine the way the citizens of these countries are viewed when the citizens themselves manifest unwarranted behavioral traits. The Philipines is a poor country and they've had one of the worst ruler/embezzler in recent history but nationals of this country have proven that they are hard working and that they respect honesty.

Nice weekend to all.

[Ma Mary]

Southern Cameroonians need to pick another name ASAP. The Cameroon, Kamerun, Cameroun, Caneroons brand is damaged goods.

[Danny boy]

Bob,
what you say is true. At the turn of the century a friend working with Cable Networks was sent to the Caribbeans to make sure the purported "bug" does not fault their services. On arrival at one of their remote islands he was detained at the airport!! It later transpired that our Nigerian brothers had been there and taken them for a ride!!
I therefore understand where you are coming from. Some will suffer from this modern day piracy! The question we should be addressing is, how should this be possible with such ease?
In England, the MPs acknowledge that a loophole permitted them to fiddle their accounts! Loopholes my man! and creative accounting!!! I respect your choice of examples, but this crime is about a fraud in the US, as in any of the major industrialized nations, like the UK! Loopholes!!
What happens in the Philllipnes or Thailand, is no different from what is happening in Cameroon. Have you seen some pictures on the net of an African being made a meal of by Thais? Of brutal killings, please check these pictures and tell us these are not real, before you go accusing your own for committing such crimes in foreign lands.
Would post the link if need be, but be warned the pictures are really, really harrowing!

[chopfire]

He was not just lucky enough, which reputation are we protecting? masa if anybody has a way of even getting more from these western nations do it and just learn something from this.when they steal we dont see