Cops Nab Craigslist Robbers

Chicago - You can find almost anything on Craigslist. And that's where Chicago Police said three south side criminals were finding their victims.

Dwayne Williams, Jalmar Smalling and his brother Jamelle Smalling, are charged with placing ads to sell items on Craigslist, then robbing the people who answered the ads. Williams would lure his customers to the neighborhood at 89th and Parnell, police said.

"He would lure them into a gangway, take out a gun, and rob them at gunpoint," Lt. John McMurray said.

According to police, Williams began advertising Xboxes for $100 apiece, but then switched to advertising flat -screen TVs for about $500. In all, he pulled off eight such robberies, up until detectives searched Craigslist, looking for matching ads and then went undercover, posing as buyers to make their arrest.

Police said that using Craigslist offers crooks an almost complete anonymity.

"It is robbery by appointment, where a thug meets a white collar education,' said Det. Joseph McGuire.
The suspects are age 20 and younger. Police said it's the younger criminals who know how to use the Internet to find potential victims.

"The moral of the story is that if you are using Craigslist, buyer beware. Use all due caution if you are showing up to buy a large ticket item with cash in your hand, because there is the potential of being a victim of a crime," McMurray said.