- 6/2/2025
From lemon juice invisibility attempts to Facebook-checking burglars, join us as we look at the most ridiculous failed criminal masterminds! These wannabe wrongdoers prove that crime doesn't pay - especially when you're this bad at it. Whether it's calling ahead to announce a robbery or falling asleep at the crime scene, these cases will leave you wondering how they thought they'd get away with it.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most infamous times
00:11criminals made strange and stupid decisions that led to them getting arrested.
00:20Number 50. Robert Strank. In 2012, Strank entered a Huntington bank in Beaver Creek,
00:27Ohio, intending to rob it. However, he felt unwell as he approached the teller and passed out.
00:34So, Strank asked the worker to call an ambulance, which they did. Instead of waiting patiently for
00:40treatment and maybe trying his crime another day, Strank, who already had a prior robbery
00:45conviction on his record, handed the teller a note declaring he was robbing them.
00:52Unfortunately for the prospective thief, the police arrived alongside the medics.
00:57After being treated by the ambulance staff, Strank was handed over to the cops.
01:02What are you moaning about? Didn't even touch it.
01:05Number 49. Karen Ackrey. Rule number one of thieving,
01:09don't use a bag with swag or a dollar sign on the front, as it gives away what you're up to.
01:15Okay. Gun. Check. Dollar sign bag. Check.
01:19Apparently, the same can't be said for trafficking in illegal substances.
01:23In 2025, Ackrey was a passenger in a car when it was pulled over by an officer in Florida.
01:30However, the cop's canine unit began reacting to some of the luggage in the vehicle.
01:35During the search, the officer found a bag that stated that it was definitely not full of illegal
01:40substances. Assuming she was attempting to hide in plain sight, Ackrey's bag was in fact filled with
01:47various narcotics, resulting in her arrest.
01:56Number 48. Alfred E. Ackrey.
01:59If you're at a rave or just enjoy having whimsy in your life, then light-up shoes are perfect.
02:04I dress like an adult.
02:05You wore light-up sneakers to a Radiohead concert.
02:07Yes. And did we ever get separated?
02:09Not for lack of trying.
02:10But if you're a criminal, yeah, probably not a good idea. Ackrey evidently didn't realize this
02:16when he was caught dealing one night on a Virginia highway in 1993. He darted into the woods to escape
02:23the cops. Due to Ackrey's LA gear light gear shoes illuminating him with every step in the darkness,
02:29it was super simple for the officers to follow and arrest him. To make it worse, our light-up sprinter
02:34was found with around $800 worth of illegal substances in his pockets.
02:40You gotta own the light if you want to own the night. New lights from LA gear.
02:46Number 47. Jared S. Carr.
02:49When returning a piece of technology to the store, most people ensure there are no identifying features
02:54within so they don't lose anything private.
02:57I do return that, please.
02:58Oh, sure. No problem. I do need you to sign a form as it is a high-ticket item,
03:02so follow me and I'll get you your refund ASAP.
03:04However, in 2013, Carr apparently felt this was too much of a hassle.
03:09He went to Walmart in Lake Halley, Wisconsin, to try to return a printer without a receipt.
03:14After arguing with staff over the missing purchase confirmation and bargaining for a partial refund,
03:20the workers examined the tech. They discovered it contained a page of counterfeit money.
03:25When the police arrived, Carr was searched and a further $300 worth of counterfeit cash was found on him.
03:31To make it more embarrassing for Carr, the police stated the counterfeits weren't even good.
03:37Okay. You're beautiful.
03:43Number 46. Farting find.
03:45For some, passing gas is funny. For others, it's embarrassing.
03:49In 2019, one unnamed suspect had the latter experience.
04:11Near Liberty, Missouri, the police were looking for someone possessing illegal substances.
04:16The person was doing well by hiding and avoiding capture.
04:20However, nature came calling in the most inappropriate way.
04:24As the cops searched, they heard a loud fart ring out,
04:27which allowed them to sniff out the suspect's hiding spot.
04:30What's that noise?
04:32Oops. I farted. I didn't think you would hear me.
04:35Shortly after this biohazard arrest, the sheriff's department, the city of Liberty,
04:40and the internet all made gas and toilet-related jokes about the smelly criminal online.
04:46Number 45. Levi Detweiler.
04:49Horse and buggy versus a cop car in a race.
04:52For most people, this would be an easy decision with modern engines containing much more, well, horsepower.
04:58Go.
04:59However, for Detweiler in 2010, this was apparently a challenge worth taking.
05:08The police attempted to get him to pull over for ignoring a stop sign in Leon, New York.
05:13Instead, Detweiler went on a low-speed chase with the officers.
05:17After a mile, a sharp turn caused the buggy to flip into a ditch,
05:21giving the cops the chance to slap the cuffs on Detweiler.
05:24He was charged with multiple crimes, including possessing alcohol while underage and overdriving an animal.
05:38Number 44. Mark Farron-Claude Biart.
05:42Most criminals on the run keep a low profile to avoid capture.
05:45Just keep your head now.
05:47However, Biart decided the spotlight was too alluring to avoid.
05:51In 2014, he fled from the Italian authorities after they issued an arrest warrant for him
05:56for allegedly helping traffic illegal substances for the Andrangheta Mafia.
06:02While hiding out in Boca Chica in the Dominican Republic,
06:05Biart was offered a chance to appear in YouTube cooking videos to showcase his Italian cuisine.
06:10Fearing his identity being exposed, his face wasn't on screen.
06:14However, the mobster didn't consider his distinctive tattoos,
06:18which alerted the police to his location, resulting in his arrest in 2021.
06:26Number 43. Dean Smith.
06:29In Treorky, Wales in 2014,
06:32Smith walked up to a Barclays bank teller to update his address.
06:36Yet, when the teller opened the cash register,
06:38he evidently remembered that banks have money,
06:40and a plan formed in his head.
06:42Necrotizing fasciitis?
06:44Caused by an invasive streptococcus?
06:46What?
06:48Flesh-eating disorder.
06:50It's all over the money.
06:5130 minutes later,
06:52Smith returned to the bank with a genius disguise of sunglasses,
06:56a hoodie, and socks over his shoes.
06:59He then pulled out a bread knife and demanded money.
07:02However, the employee did something Smith wasn't expecting.
07:05They refused.
07:06So, the attempted thief left.
07:08No.
07:11Okay.
07:11Unfortunately for him, the teller saw through Smith's clever disguise
07:16and remembered getting his address and full name earlier.
07:19He was soon arrested and sentenced to two and a half years in prison.
07:23Number 42.
07:24Hector D. Velasquez Maldonado.
07:27If there was any day in particular to try to shoplift from a store,
07:30Maldonado arguably selected the worst one possible.
07:34That's honey.
07:34That's honey, guys.
07:35In 2024, he went to Walmart in Chesterfield County, Virginia.
07:40However, that day was the annual Shop with a Cop event,
07:43where officers helped underprivileged children to get Christmas gifts.
07:47Rather than turn around and come back another day or rethink his life,
07:51Maldonado continued with his plan.
07:54He was captured on the store's CCTV,
07:56stuffing $1,400 worth of items in his clothing.
07:59Look what I got!
08:01It's the kind I like!
08:03Walmart security called the police,
08:05which notified all the law enforcement agents in the store.
08:09Around 50 of them.
08:10They soon found Maldonado and arrested him.
08:14Number 41.
08:15Wrong data rob.
08:16In 2008, two unnamed thieves in Sydney, Australia,
08:20wanted to make some easy cash,
08:22so they set out to rob a bar.
08:24However, they apparently decided that casing their target first was too much trouble,
08:29a decision they'd soon really, really regret.
08:31Are you coming over here in a minute, sir?
08:33Bursting into the bar,
08:35the disastrous duo quickly discovered the establishment was hosting a meeting
08:38of the Southern Cross Cruiser Club, a biker group.
08:42Uh-oh.
08:43Around 50 bikers descended on the hapless robbers,
08:46using tables and chairs as weapons.
08:49Get up!
08:50Get up!
08:51One of the criminals was caught trying to escape through the back door and was hogtied.
08:55The other jumped through a glass window and off the balcony to get away.
08:59However, they were soon caught by the cops.
09:02Both were arrested, with one admitted to the hospital for treatment.
09:06Number 40.
09:07Salomon Sammy Buzaglo.
09:09If you're an immigrant and have a criminal record you didn't tell the authorities about,
09:13perhaps the worst decision to make is to be horribly obnoxious on an international TV show.
09:19I'm fed up.
09:19I'm getting sick and tired of your bullsh**.
09:21Well, then f***ing answer my question.
09:23Well, that's exactly what Buzaglo did when he appeared on an infamous episode of Kitchen Nightmares in 2013.
09:30One of the owners of Amy's Baking Company, alongside his wife, Amy,
09:34Buzaglo didn't tell the U.S. that he was convicted of crimes in Europe,
09:37including extortion and illegal substances.
09:40It's not your problem. It's nobody's problem.
09:42Why were you in immigration court?
09:44It's not your problem.
09:45While the authorities had been looking at the case for two years,
09:48it really ramped up after the episode aired.
09:51By 2018, Buzaglo was deported to Israel.
09:55While Amy followed him, the couple eventually broke up and she returned to the U.S.
10:01Number 39. Mocking the Cops
10:03When criminals taunt law enforcement, sometimes it can work, like with the Zodiac Killer.
10:08I'm not sick. I'm insane. But that will not stop the game.
10:11This letter should be published for all to read.
10:13But when they get too cocky and don't cover their tracks, it's a complete disaster.
10:17In 2010, an unidentified thief robbed a bank in Würzburg, Germany.
10:22The cops soon released identifying details of the criminal in hopes of catching him.
10:27Have you seen this man?
10:29However, the thief then emailed the police,
10:32mocking them for getting their height, age, accent, and method of escape wrong.
10:37The smug criminal hadn't realized cops could trace their email address.
10:41The authorities soon tracked them down in a Hamburg gambling hall.
10:45Number 38. James Washington
10:48Deathbed confessions can be dramatic as a person admits their crime,
10:52allowing a case to close while also escaping arrest due to their imminent demise.
10:57But when it goes wrong, yikes.
10:59In 2009, Washington was serving a 15-year sentence for attempted murder
11:04when he experienced a series of seizures.
11:07While at the hospital and believing his life was coming to an end,
11:10he confessed to the 1995 murder of Joyce Goodner to a prison guard.
11:15And so the most improbable prosecution goes forward.
11:18James Washington was always a person of interest,
11:21but there was no real evidence until Mr. Washington provided it himself.
11:26Unfortunately for Washington, he survived his illness,
11:29making it easier for the law to get justice.
11:32And he just kind of, as best he could,
11:34motioned for me and asked me to come here, I got something to tell you.
11:37Said I got something I need to get off my conscience.
11:39He attempted to walk back his confession by claiming he was hallucinating,
11:43but to no avail, as he was found guilty in 2012, earning him life imprisonment.
11:49Number 37. Stephen Crane
11:51Sometimes it can take years for the police to piece together evidence to track down a culprit.
11:57But in Crane's case, it didn't take long at all.
11:59It was Bertie, who planted a remote device on a crossbow in revenge for you stealing her signature red diamond.
12:08In 2010, he broke into the Revali Republic's newspaper office in Hamilton, Montana.
12:13In addition to spraying a fire extinguisher around the newsroom,
12:17Crane went on one of the computers to watch adult content and log into his Facebook and MySpace accounts,
12:23neglecting to sign out afterward.
12:25He also grabbed a load of M&Ms and trail mix he found, eating it as he walked to his sister's apartment.
12:32When the police arrived, they spotted his social media accounts.
12:35They then followed the Hansel and Gretel-esque track of snacks to the residence to arrest Crane.
12:42Number 36. Anthony Garcia
12:44In 2004, a liquor store robbery in Pico Rivera, California, resulted in the fatal shooting of John Juarez.
12:53At the time, no suspect was charged.
12:55I mean, this guy is just going through gang members to see what he can learn.
13:00In 2008, Garcia was arrested for a driving offense.
13:04Suspected of being involved in a gang, officers photographed his tattoos as he was released.
13:09The images then arrived at a detective's desk.
13:12He spotted that Garcia had tattooed the 2004 murder on his chest and his connection to the
13:18gang Rivera 13. The artwork showed Juarez as Mr. Peanut being shot by a helicopter,
13:24with Garcia's gang nickname being Chopper.
13:27How many idiotic criminals out there would go off and tattoo the crime scene on their chest?
13:33Like, this is the clown of the month, okay?
13:35The police then re-arrested the murderer and got an undercover cop to get Garcia to confess to
13:40the 2004 crime in jail. He was sentenced to life in prison.
13:45Number 35. Antoine Sims
13:47In 2022, Sims experienced a horror that no one recovers from.
13:53His McDonald's fries weren't hot, but lukewarm.
13:56I try the fries. The fries are lukewarm, but they're not hot.
13:59After arguing with staff at their Kennesaw, Georgia location and getting nowhere,
14:04Sims took a page out of the Karen handbook by calling the cops.
14:07The situation got somehow even more ridiculous when the officers arrived. The police sorted out
14:13the problem, but when they asked Sims to sign a criminal trespass warning,
14:17he got uncomfortable and admitted he was afraid of the police due to a criminal past.
14:22Then he took off. The police checked Sims in their database to discover there was a warrant
14:27out for his arrest for not appearing in court on a murder charge. He was soon apprehended.
14:32Number 34. Sniff shock
14:35In 2011, three adult men and two juveniles broke into a house in Silver Springs, Shores, Florida.
14:42The thieves thought they hit the jackpot with a load of white powder they suspected of being an
14:46illegal substance. However, upon inhaling the product, they soon realized they were very, very wrong.
14:52Instead, it was the ashes of a man and two Great Danes. All the thieves were arrested. Weirdly,
15:01this isn't an isolated event. In 2015, three teenagers stole from a family member in St.
15:07Peter's, Missouri. After tasting the white powder in a box, that too turned out to be ashes.
15:13This time, they belonged to their grandfather, bringing further shame as they were arrested.
15:17Number 33. Muhammad Ashan
15:26Described as a mid-to-low-level extremist commander in Afghanistan,
15:30Ashan was sought after for helping plan attacks against the U.S. and Afghan troops.
15:35What do you know about it? It's my idea in the first place, not yours.
15:38So they put up loads of wanted posters throughout the region offering $100 for his capture.
15:43Officials didn't have much hope that it would work, as previous efforts hadn't resulted in much
15:48success. In 2012, soldiers and police at a checkpoint were in for a surprise when Ashan walked up to
15:55them, while clutching his wanted poster, asking for the money for giving himself up. Unfortunately for
16:01the commander, that's not how that works. After a biometric scan confirmed his identity,
16:06Ashan was arrested without getting his cash prize.
16:09Number 32. Casey Kazee
16:13In 2007, Kazee decided to rob a liquor store in Ashland, Kentucky. However, he couldn't do it
16:19with his face exposed. So Kazee came up with the idea to wrap his head in duct tape.
16:24Does this genius idea work? Well, he's in this video, so no. After getting the cash,
16:31the duct tape mandate was tackled by an employee outside and held there until the cops turned up.
16:36When the officers arrived, Kazee had sweated so much that most of the tape had slipped off already.
16:42While in jail, he was interviewed, which went viral, where he claimed he wasn't the duct tape
16:46bandit. I look like a duct tape bandit, baby. I'm not no duct tape bandit, you hear me?
16:51Kazee was sentenced to 10 years in prison. In 2014, after his release, he was arrested after another
16:58theft and received another 12 years.
17:00Number 31. Corey Harris
17:03If there's one person you don't want to see in the act of committing a crime,
17:07it's the judge overseeing your case.
17:08Mr. Harris? Are you driving?
17:12Actually, I'm pulling into my doctor's office, actually.
17:16In 2024, the bonkers footage of Harris' Zoom court appearance in Michigan went viral.
17:22He was virtually attending the meeting while parking his car. The judge, utterly baffled at the
17:27situation, pointed out Harris was there due to driving with a suspended license. The realization
17:33washed over Harris, who was sent to jail for two days.
17:36So, defendant's bond is revoked in this matter. Defendant is turning himself into the Washington
17:41County Jail by 6 p.m. today. Failure to turn himself in will result in a bench warrant with no bond.
17:47As it turned out, Harris didn't even have a valid license in the state, even though it had been
17:58suspended automatically since 2007 for failing to pay child support.
18:03They never said you had to pay a fee or anything.
18:05No.
18:05A few months after this public embarrassment, Harris secured a learning permit.
18:10Number 30. Charles Ray Fuller
18:13Who amongst us wouldn't love $360 billion? Unfortunately, you can't just waltz into a
18:19bank and hand the teller a check for that amount.
18:22Maybe that might, you know, cause a red flag at the bank that you were trying to cash a $360
18:28billion check?
18:30Well, it turns out you can. Just ask Charles Ray Fuller. In 2008, Fuller walked into a bank in
18:37Fort Worth, Texas with a personal check in the amount of $360 billion. He claimed his girlfriend's
18:44mother gave him the check to start a record company. Unsurprisingly, bank employees immediately notified
18:50the authorities and teller was arrested for forgery.
18:53My favorite part of the article says tellers at the Fort Worth bank were immediately suspicious.
18:58Perhaps it was a 10 zeros on the personal check that tipped them off.
19:01Even worse, he was carrying both illicit substances and a handgun at the time of his arrest. So he
19:08was also hit with charges of drug possession and unlawful carrying of a weapon. Oops.
19:13Because we do these stories every week. You're driving next to a guy that's that dumb.
19:19They're everywhere.
19:21Number 29. Peter Kavanaugh
19:23It's a tale as old as time. A criminal takes a picture of themselves doing something illegal,
19:28which ultimately lands them in jail. Believe it or not, jail. Right away.
19:32Back in 2013, a man named Peter Kavanaugh worked with a London mob delivering shipments of drugs.
19:39While returning with the cash, Kavanaugh whipped out his mobile phone and took photos of himself
19:44with the massive stack of money. But he wasn't counting on two of his dealers getting caught.
19:50After the two women were arrested for possession, they led the police straight to Kavanaugh,
19:55who was busted thanks to those damning photos on his phone. He was swiftly arrested and thrown in
20:01prison for three years.
20:03I've made a huge mistake.
20:05Number 28. Hannah Sabata
20:07Taking a selfie is one thing. Openly bragging about robbing a bank on tape and then uploading
20:13it to YouTube is a whole new level of bold. But believe it or not, that's exactly what 19-year-old
20:18Hannah Sabata did back in 2012. Sabata stole $6,000 from a Nebraska bank and then made an
20:25incriminating video in which she admitted to the crime and flashed the cash.
20:30It's a bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see if it pays off for him.
20:33This video was uploaded to YouTube by user Jelly Beanie under the title Chick Bank Robber,
20:38and it has since amassed over 2 million views thanks to its notoriety. Sabata was arrested the
20:44same day the video was uploaded. Imagine that.
20:48I'm shocked.
20:49Number 27. Adam Vallee
20:51We don't know if committing a crime right in front of a police station is recklessly brave
20:56or ridiculously stupid.
20:58A little from column A, a little from column B.
21:01Probably the latter. In December of 2018, 26-year-old Adam Vallee waltzed right up to the
21:07front door of the Gladstone Police Department in Oregon and tried stealing a locked bike.
21:12Police inside instantly noticed the crime on their surveillance cameras and watched in
21:18complete disbelief as Vallee attempted to break the lock.
21:23Is he for real?
21:24Officers simply walked out the front door and confronted Vallee, who probably couldn't believe
21:29that he had been caught. How did that happen? Surely it had nothing to do with the cameras
21:33everywhere, or the front door, or the window right beside him with Gladstone Police written on it.
21:39Well, when you put it that way.
21:42Number 26. The Loud Getaway Donkey
21:45This sounds like one of those fake news stories you'd read about in The Onion, but it's 100% true.
21:51Three criminals in the Colombian town of Juan de Acosta stole a number of items from a local shop
21:57and made their getaway on a stolen donkey. And they would have gotten away with it, too,
22:01if it wasn't for that darned donkey.
22:03All right, I hope you heard that. She called me a noble steed.
22:06She think I'm a steed.
22:08You see, the tired animal started to bray loudly and drew the attention of some nearby police officers.
22:14The thieves immediately bailed when the police sauntered over, leaving behind both the donkey
22:19and the stolen goods. The items were returned to the shop, and the donkey was safely reunited with its owner.
22:25I'm a donkey on edge!
22:28Number 25. Free Beer
22:30Who can deny the allure of free beer?
22:33Certainly not these 19 English criminals who fell for an oddly genius police sting.
22:38Hey, wait a minute. What about the old stink-a-roo?
22:43Yeah, I'm in.
22:45The Derbyshire police had a number of wanted suspects who had evaded capture,
22:49and they were running out of options. So they cooked up a plan,
22:53offered them free beer and see who takes the bait. They phoned the suspects,
22:57posing as a company giving away crates of beer, and made a simple arrangement. Meet up at a specific
23:03location at a specific time, and they would hand over the beer, just like that. When the criminals arrived,
23:08they were greeted not by company men and free booze, but by police and handcuffs. How they fell for that one is beyond us.
23:16You're really good at that, Lloyd.
23:17I learned from the best.
23:19Number 24. Matthew McNelly and Joey Miller
23:22There are tons of ways to hide your face. Stockings, ski masks, those old-timey bandanas,
23:29and a permanent marker?
23:31Sharpie
23:32Genius
23:32Back in 2009, criminals Matthew McNelly and Joey Miller tried breaking into a house in Carroll, Iowa. Witnesses described their getaway car to police,
23:42who quickly tracked it down and pulled it over. Inside were the two men, their faces scribbled with permanent marker like a coloring book that had felt the presence of a couple of toddlers.
23:52The men's hilarious mugshots were later released to the public, and the entire world couldn't stop laughing. The local police chief later claimed that it was the funniest thing he had seen in nearly 30 years on the force.
24:08Number 23. Peter Addison
24:10Now, we're certainly not condoning it, but if you break into a place, maybe don't write your real name on the wall.
24:17No one gave Peter Addison that terrific bit of advice. Addison broke into a Cheshire campground and trashed the place, leaving behind a mess and some messages written on the walls.
24:29One of them read,
24:30Thanks for the stay, and of course, another read,
24:33Peter Addison was here. Police got Addison's personal information, and when they arrived to question him, he was wearing a t-shirt that was stolen from the camp.
24:42You know, just in case you thought it couldn't get any dumber.
24:44It can! Oh, baby, it can!
24:47Addison was arrested and ordered to pay £750 in fines.
24:52Number 22. Shaquille McKinney
24:55Hey, it's tough out there for a salesman. Sometimes you have to make cold calls.
24:59And that's exactly what teenage salesman Shaquille McKinney did. Just that the product that he was marketing to potential customers was cannabis.
25:07Sweet Mary Jane is my vice of choice, as you well know. Of course, I'm addicted to selling it, not consuming it.
25:14Yep, McKinney made a number of cold calls throughout the Pinellas County area in Florida, asking people if they needed some of the green stuff.
25:21Unfortunately, one of those people was a Gulfport police detective.
25:24He arranged to meet McKinney at a nearby school, and when the young boy arrived to deliver the drugs, he found a number of officers waiting for him.
25:33He was charged with drug possession with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school.
25:38I feel manipulated. I thought we were gonna hang out.
25:42Number 21. Mganga Mganga
25:44We don't know what's dumber, stealing a car while you're out on bond, or stealing a car that you don't know how to drive.
25:50Not everybody knows how to do everything. Driving isn't the only thing.
25:54Teenager Mganga Mganga carjacked a woman named Melissa Peters as she was driving her kid to school.
26:00He hopped in her Dodge Caliber hatchback, but didn't get far, being unable to work the manual stick shift.
26:06Instead, he simply sat there in a panic, flicking the lights and turning on the wipers in a desperate attempt to work the transmission.
26:13He was doing that for seven minutes while people around him called the cops.
26:24They soon arrived and arrested Mganga, sending him back to jail.
26:28Number 20. The Doorbell Liquor
26:30You might not be familiar with Salinas, California, but it's the hometown of a few famous folks.
26:36Writer John Steinbeck, performer Vanessa Hudgens, and, of course, 33-year-old Roberto Daniel Arroyo, perhaps more commonly known as the doorbell licker.
26:46Sylvia Dungan's decision to install a ring doorbell camera into her front door yielded a pretty curious home movie, starring Arroyo as he licked her doorbell for three whole hours.
26:57He's into this. He is really into this.
27:03As the case went viral online, police quickly caught up with him.
27:07They pointed out that the clear quality of the footage made him much easier to identify.
27:11So, a word of advice to would-be doorknob lickers?
27:14Maybe make sure to check for a camera before going about your licking.
27:17That's why the doorknob and this is completely white, because I wiped it down with four medical-grade sanitary clots.
27:27Number 19. Dennis Hawkins
27:29Wearing a disguise is great for concealing one's identity, if one is going to commit a crime.
27:37Someone should have told Dennis Hawkins that, in order for a disguise to work, however, it has to be somewhat believable.
27:43Sit up and take a look, Gary.
27:51It's uncanny.
27:52Hawkins apparently missed that memo as he attempted to rob a bank, wearing clown pants with a pair of fake breasts and a blonde wig.
27:59Sorry, um, um, they're new. Dr. Dorfman did an amazing job. It feels so real.
28:05Not only did he fail to cover his face, which still had a goatee and mustache, but the disguise also attracted attention, and the police easily apprehended him.
28:15Number 18. Daniel Glenn
28:17I need you to arrest me.
28:19It's important to be prepared, especially if you're going to rob a store.
28:23It's possible to be too prepared, though, which is exactly what happened to Daniel Glenn,
28:27who inexplicably decided to call ahead to ask the store how much cash was in the register.
28:32Imagine how that conversation went.
28:34Hello, I'd like to place a takeout order for all the money. Can I get fries with that?
28:38Confused and slightly alarmed, the store owner immediately called the police, who arrested Glenn on his way to the store.
28:45Number 17. Tony Vann
28:47Breaking the law requires a certain audacity.
28:51But Tony Vann, a 37-year-old San Francisco hairstylist, took this to a new level when he drove a stolen car to his own trial.
28:59Vann was facing charges for possessing a stolen, $125,000 Porsche Carrera, so maybe he thought no one would notice when he arrived at court in a stolen Lexus instead.
29:14When Yorkshire puppies he'd left inside escaped through a window, sheriff's deputies noticed and ran the license plate.
29:21He was charged with possession of a stolen car and computer, as well as animal cruelty.
29:26Number 16. Trevor Jones
29:28Ever just want to check your Facebook one more time?
29:3234-year-old Trevor Jones couldn't resist when he broke into a house in Gwinnett County, Georgia, in November 2011.
29:39Unfortunately for him, he used the home computer to log in.
29:43To be fair, it's no wonder he wanted some social media downtime.
29:46A woman whose house he'd tried to rob earlier had seen his car, taken his keys and wallet, and called the police.
29:52Jones had to swim a pond to escape before breaking into another nearby house.
29:56Still, he probably should have logged out of Facebook before leaving.
30:00Instead, he gave police everything they needed to identify him and issue arrest warrants.
30:06Number 15. Albert Bailey
30:08Police in Connecticut say they had ample warning of a bank robbery because the two suspects called the bank ahead of time, telling an employee to get a bag of money ready.
30:18We're going to say this now. If you're planning on robbing a store or bank, don't call ahead and ask them suspicious questions or warn them that you're coming.
30:26We are the ex-presidents. And as you can see, we are in fact robbing your bank. So with a little cooperation, I won't have to blow your heads off.
30:35Seemingly inspired by our previous entry, Albert Bailey called the bank and told him he was coming to rob them so that they would have the money ready for him when he got there.
30:43He even had an accomplice enter the bank with a note informing the tellers who Bailey was.
30:48Open that damn door!
30:50Obviously, the tellers had called the police, who apprehended Bailey immediately.
30:53Hold it right there. You're under arrest. I'm taking you away.
30:56Number 14. R.C. Gateland
30:59Curiosity killed the cat, and it also caught the criminal.
31:02In 1988, R.C. Gateland came across some friendly Detroit police officers who were showing off their squad car's computer to a few local kids.
31:11His interest peaked. Gateland approached the officers and asked them to give him a demonstration, voluntarily giving them his driver's license so they could run a background check.
31:19The cops complied and discovered Gateland had an outstanding arrest warrant for armed robbery.
31:25It wasn't outstanding for much longer. The police arrested Gateland on the spot.
31:29Still, he must have been impressed at how well the technology worked.
31:33Number 13. The Living Dead Burglar
31:36There are times when playing dead might be a smart idea. In the animal world, the Virginia opossum plays dead to avoid predators, and some fish feign death to attract prey.
31:46But when a 23-year-old man broke into a Spanish funeral home in March 2008, he learned it isn't the most successful strategy in the human world.
31:55When police arrived to investigate the reported break-in, this man tried to fool them by lying on a table in a glass chamber used for wakes.
32:03Police were tipped off when they noticed that, for a corpse, he was awfully alive. Breathing and everything.
32:09Number 12. Christian Bala
32:11Polish intellectual Christian Bala believed he could get away with murder. He's now serving 25 years in prison.
32:19To commit a crime, you have to be slightly arrogant.
32:21If you get away with the crime, this arrogance can increase to the point where you feel untouchable.
32:26After murdering Dariusz Januszewski in 2000, Polish author Christian Bala wrote a novel titled Amok,
32:34which featured an eerily similar murder and details of the case only the murderer himself could have been privy to.
32:40The torture and murder of advertising executive Dariusz Januszewski goes unsolved for nearly three years,
32:47until Christian Bala posts extracts of his first violent novel on his blog.
32:53Police uncovered clues relating to the murder, most of which came from the novel, eventually arresting and charging Bala.
32:59It was a very personal murder. You know, he had a score to settle.
33:04To their shock, they discovered on his computer plans to kill another person to tie in with the next novel he was planning to write.
33:09From his cell, Bala still rankles at how his novel was interpreted by the police.
33:15Bala's infamy lives on.
33:17In 2017, Amok was adapted into a feature film by director Kasia Ademik.
33:22Number 11. Christopher Cron
33:24It's only polite to answer the phone.
33:27It could be someone important, like the company that monitors the alarm you just tripped.
33:31On the night of his birthday, 47-year-old Christopher Cron broke into the Junkanoo bar on Fort Myers Beach to steal a bottle of Grand Marnier.
33:39When the alarm company called, he not only answered the phone, but also gave his full name.
33:44Because he hadn't hidden his face either, police were able to identify and arrest him the next day based on video surveillance of the break-in.
33:52Number 10. Eloise D. Reeves
33:54This is drugs.
33:57This is your brain on drugs.
33:59Buying drugs is an art, because you don't have the option to exchange or refund your purchases if you don't like the product you get.
34:06Apparently, no one told this to Eloise Reeves, who had the gall to go to the police to complain about the quality of the crack cocaine she'd just bought.
34:13She reportedly pulled the crack rock from her mouth and placed it on the cop car for the deputy to inspect.
34:18She was charged with the possession of cocaine and fined roughly $1,500.
34:32Number 9. Jonathan Ochola
34:34People have busy lives, and sometimes the only way to keep track of important events and dates is by keeping a diary.
34:41Dear diary, Sleeping Beauty is having a slumber party tomorrow, but Dad says I can't go. He never lets me out after sunset.
34:49It might be a good idea to leave out any planned criminal activity, however.
34:52This seemingly never registered with Jonathan Ochola, who on June 12, 2010, wrote Go Portsmouth Robbery Happens in his diary.
35:00Your diary proved very interesting to read.
35:03You read my, you read my journal?
35:05The police were able to link him to the robbery as the getaway driver, and when confronted, Ochola attempted to blame it entirely on his buddy.
35:12We'll arrest him. It's his fault.
35:15There is plenty of fault to be passed around.
35:18Number 8. Mark Smith
35:19We aren't sure if there's a criminal handbook, but we have to guess that falling asleep in the house you're robbing has to be high on the things not to do list.
35:27Mark Smith must not have read that page.
35:29By dinner, I popped a few more on top of some cocktails and a Valium or two.
35:33Smith decided to take a quick nap under his victim's bed, drunk on vodka and high on Valium, only to be discovered by the homeowner, who immediately called the police.
35:42I'm not off. I wake up in strange places. I have no idea how I got there.
35:46You need to lighten up.
35:47We've heard of cat burglars before, but Smith seems to associate more with cat nappers.
35:52Where am I? What's going on?
35:55We're behind you!
35:57Number 7. Christopher Koch
35:58In any criminal endeavor, there's plenty that can go wrong, but step one is actually getting inside the building you hope to rob.
36:0528-year-old Christopher Koch should have looked at the opening hours before attempting to rob a Citizens and Northern Bank in Liberty, Pennsylvania.
36:13Wearing a ski mask and gloves, he rushed the door, only to find the bank had just closed.
36:18To be completely fair, what kind of bank closes at noon?
36:21As Koch sheepishly retreated, employees inside wrote down his license plate number, and he was later arrested.
36:26And I want you to call the police. I want to go back to jail. Please.
36:29Number 6. Derek Moseley
36:31So we know you're not supposed to bring a gun to a knife fight, but what about a baseball bat?
36:36Revolvers. Revolvers.
36:38This is exactly what Derek Moseley did as he tried to rob a gun shop and steal a firearm, equipped only with a baseball bat and a knife.
36:49It's a lot more compact than the flaming sword, but it's not nearly as impressive.
36:54It doesn't have that wrath of the almighty edge to it.
36:56Of course, the manager pulled out his own gun and held Moseley until the police arrived.
37:01Who would have imagined that the manager of a gun store would possess his own gun?
37:05Will wonders never cease?
37:07You can't do that.
37:08No. 5. Michael Anthony Fuller
37:13If you're already committing a crime, why not go big?
37:16In 2011, a 53-year-old North Carolina man tried to use a $1 million bill to buy a microwave, a vacuum cleaner, and other merchandise at Walmart.
37:25That must be worth a fortune.
37:27The total price of the goods was $476, so he was apparently fairly optimistic about how much change Walmart keeps in their registers.
37:35Unfortunately, the cashier didn't have $999,524 on him and knew there's no such thing as a $1 million bill, leading to Fuller's arrest.
37:45As it turns out, sometimes when it comes to going big or going home, you should probably just go home.
37:51A fake ID is a teenage rite of passage.
38:01But when you show a fake ID, you should make sure you're not handing it to the actual owner.
38:06You know, the one whose face is on the ID you're holding in your hand?
38:08That's what happened to one 26-year-old woman at Appleby's in 2013, when she showed the waitress Brianna Pretty her own driver's license as proof of age.
38:17It had been stolen with a bunch of other possessions a month earlier.
38:20Can't we resolve this conflict without anger?
38:24Instead of bringing her customer a margarita, Brianna brought the cops, and the thief was caught red-handed.
38:29Number 3. Ruben Zarate
38:32Open the safe, Pops.
38:33Oh, fine.
38:35Open the goddamn safe!
38:36Deciding to rob a muffler shop, Ruben Zarate brought a gun and demanded the money,
38:41only to discover that the money was in the safe that could only be opened by the absent store manager.
38:46Now, I know you come back here to open your safe.
38:52So now you can open it.
38:54He decided it would be a good idea to leave his number with the store employees so that they could call him when the manager returned.
39:00Of course, they called the police, who set a trap for Zarate and arrested him.
39:03Excuse me?
39:04He's been placed under arrest.
39:05Are you kidding?
39:06Hands behind your back, sir.
39:07I'm trying to help here.
39:08Heck, we're just surprised Zarate didn't leave his name, address, and social security number, too.
39:13Drop the gun. You are under arrest.
39:15Number 2. Robber of Halifax Bank in London
39:18Committing a crime is a stressful endeavor, and mistakes do happen.
39:22If there's one thing all robbers should remember, however, it's that your gun is your most valuable asset.
39:28This particular robber seemed to forget that fact as he attempted to rob the Halifax Bank in London.
39:34Put the money in the bag.
39:35Demanding the teller fill the bag with money, he accidentally gave away his gun to the teller instead of the bag.
39:41After a brief moment of confusion, the bank worker retreated, forcing the robber to flee.
39:46At least he managed to escape with a bank employee's bicycle, and so we still don't know his name.
39:51Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
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40:02If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
40:08Number 1. MacArthur Wheeler
40:10When he was arrested for robbing two banks in Pittsburgh in 1995, MacArthur Wheeler was genuinely incredulous.
40:17His logic had been impeccable.
40:19Lemon juice is used in invisible ink, therefore if he rubbed his face with lemon juice, no one would be able to see his face.
40:25Right?
40:27Right.
40:28Psychologists who studied the case named it the Dunning-Kruger Effect,
40:32a cognitive bias in which unskilled people are least able to perceive their own incompetence,
40:37and so become overconfident.
40:39In other words, when people are really dumb, they can't see how dumb they really are.
40:43If you had to choose three people from this video to do a heist with,
40:47who would your dream or nightmare team be?
40:50Let us know in the comments.
40:51You should never underestimate the predictability of stupidity.
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