Burglars Steal Electronics, then Contact Victim for Passwords

The Brian Gatewood and Shasta Daniels story

Money Blunders is a category dedicated to ways in which you shouldn’t make money  :p

Paintsville, Kentucky: Okay, so a couple comes back home after being out of town, and boom! their place has been cleaned out. We’re talking electronics, computers, household stuff, even their business bank card. Not exactly the “welcome home” vibe they were expecting.

Pretty soon, they notice over a thousand dollars has been drained from their account. But here’s where it gets hilarious in the dumb-criminal way. The crooks actually reach out on Facebook, claiming they “bought” one of the stolen computers off Marketplace.

And then they have the nerve to ask the victims for the password to unlock it. Like, imagine robbing someone and then calling tech support for help.

So the victims, being smart about it, team up with police to set up a little sting. They agree to meet this so-called buyer at a Budget Inn Express. Police are chilling nearby, waiting for the show. Sure enough, they find two suspects: Brian Gatewood and Shasta Daniels.

Here’s where it gets better. When cops ask Daniels to grab her ID, she opens the door to her room, and right there on the nightstand is a clear plastic bag full of white powder. Instant search warrant material.

Inside, police uncover more stolen stuff, drugs, and even a check originally written to the victims’ business. The check had been altered and (wait for it) signed by Gatewood. Subtlety clearly wasn’t their strong suit.

To top it off, Daniels already had a warrant out for not showing up in court, and Gatewood allegedly confessed to two other burglaries in the area. So yeah, these two weren’t exactly criminal masterminds.

Enjoyed this story? Refer to the Listiller blog for actual ways to make a living. This way, the police won’t ever have to get involved!