Food porn busts ID thieves, Instagramming a delicious meal isn’t a crime – until it is. Nathaniel Troy Maye and Tiwanna Tenise Thomason were tracked down by Florida police on suspicion of stealing thousands of identities after posting a photo of their dinner online. In what may be the first instance
of a “food porn” image being officially used to help fight crime, a
photo of the couple’s steak and mac-and-cheese meal was used as judicial
evidence.
It placed Maye and Thomason (who were already suspects in the case)
at Morton’s steakhouse the same night a large data swap took place. The
well-fed couple now face 12 years in prison, all thanks to their inability to resist bragging about a fancy meal.
Nathaniel Troy Maye, 44, left, and Tiwanna Tenise Thomason, 39, ,
right, accused of stealing thousands of identities, were tracked down by
Florida police after posting a picture of their steak and macaroni and cheese dinner to Instagram.
A picture of a square meal got this Florida couple into quite the legal pickle.
Nathaniel Troy Maye, 44, and Tiwanna Tenise Thomason, 39, accused of
stealing thousands of identities, were tracked down by Florida police
after posting a picture of their steak and macaroni and cheese dinner to
Instagram.
The so-called “food porn” photos ares common among discerning diners
who document their meals by taking pictures and then sharing them on
social media.
Authorities had been follo
Food porn busts ID thieves, Instagramming a delicious meal isn’t a crime – until it is. Nathaniel Troy Maye and Tiwanna Tenise Thomason were tracked down by Florida police on suspicion of stealing thousands of identities after posting a photo of their dinner online. In what may be the first instance
of a “food porn” image being officially used to help fight crime, a
photo of the couple’s steak and mac-and-cheese meal was used as judicial
evidence.
It placed Maye and Thomason (who were already suspects in the case)
at Morton’s steakhouse the same night a large data swap took place. The
well-fed couple now face 12 years in prison, all thanks to their inability to resist bragging about a fancy meal.
Nathaniel Troy Maye, 44, left, and Tiwanna Tenise Thomason, 39, ,
right, accused of stealing thousands of identities, were tracked down by
Florida police after posting a picture of their steak and macaroni and cheese dinner to Instagram.
A picture of a square meal got this Florida couple into quite the legal pickle.
Nathaniel Troy Maye, 44, and Tiwanna Tenise Thomason, 39, accused of
stealing thousands of identities, were tracked down by Florida police
after posting a picture of their steak and macaroni and cheese dinner to
Instagram.
The so-called “food porn” photos ares common among discerning diners
who document their meals by taking pictures and then sharing them on
social media.
Authorities had been following Maye, from Harlem, and Thomason, from
Miramar in South Florida, after a tipster told IRS agents that a man
named “Troy” had bragged about stealing 700,000 identities.
The photo from Instagram was,
for the first time, used as judicial evidence, as it placed Maye and
Thomason at the swanky Morton’s steakhouse restaurant the night of an
alleged data handover.
An IRS special agent was able to link them to the alleged crime after finding Maye’s Instagram account, with the name of the Fort Lauderdale steakhouse, “Mortons,” written as the caption.
According to the Sun Sentinel, authorities found only 50 identities following the handover at the Fort Lauderdale steakhouse.
But an IRS special agent continued the search online and found an
Instagram profile for “TROYMAYE,” which shows the steak and noodle
dinner.
wing Maye, from Harlem, and Thomason, from
Miramar in South Florida, after a tipster told IRS agents that a man
named “Troy” had bragged about stealing 700,000 identities.
The photo from Instagram was,
for the first time, used as judicial evidence, as it placed Maye and
Thomason at the swanky Morton’s steakhouse restaurant the night of an
alleged data handover.
An IRS special agent was able to link them to the alleged crime after finding Maye’s Instagram account, with the name of the Fort Lauderdale steakhouse, “Mortons,” written as the caption.
According to the Sun Sentinel, authorities found only 50 identities following the handover at the Fort Lauderdale steakhouse.
But an IRS special agent continued the search online and found an
Instagram profile for “TROYMAYE,” which shows the steak and noodle
dinner.
