Another Clueless Foolish Congressman … US Rep Chris Lee (NY-R) Goes from Scandal to Ex-Congressman

When will politicians ever learn? Craig’s List, buy a coach, buy a washing machine, ruin your political career …

Congressman Chris Lee of the 26th district in New York was reported by Gawker to have sent topless pics on Craig’s List “Women Seeking Men” forum portraying himself as a “divorced” “lobbyist” and “fit fun classy guy.”  The problem, US Rep. Lee is a married US Congressman with a child. Yeah, REAL CLASSY!

PICS at Gawker … EESH!

ABC News

How absolutely foolish and wreck-less could a politician be? How could Chris Lee not have thought that in the age of on-line social media that some one would not have recognized who he was?Com’on Man! Did we say he was a Congressman? Correct, Congressman no longer … he is now a former Congressman in what might be one of the fastest political scandals ever as Lee has now promptly resigned in disgrace, having apologized to his family and staff for “profound mistakes” and  promised “to work as hard as I can to seek their forgiveness.” How could he be so pathetic as to cruise Craig’sList for chicks and not think that he would be outed? At least he did not use the excuse that he was hiking the Appalachian trail.

The apology from USA Today:

“I regret the harm that my actions have caused my family, my staff and my constituents,” the two-term congressman said in a statement posted on his site Wednesday evening. He said he made “profound mistakes.”

“The challenges we face in Western New York and across the country are too serious for me to allow this distraction to continue, and so I am announcing that I have resigned my seat in Congress effective immediately.”

Why do people continue to think that they can get away with such actions? Why would any one go into a career like politics and participate in such foolish behavior?

“Craigslist Killer Philip Markoff Found Dead in Boston Jail of Apparent Suicide

CRAIGSLIST Killer takes cowards wau out and commits suicide …

Philip Markoff, the accused “CraigsList” killer was found dead in his jail cell over the weekend with a bag over his head in an apparent suicide. Markoff was charged with the  first degree murder of Julissa Brisman and the armed robbery of 29 year old Las Vegas woman named Trisha Leffler, both occurring in Boston, MA hotels.

Accused “Craigslist Killer” Philip Markoff was found dead at Nashua Street Jail yesterday morning, a plastic bag tied over his head, in an apparent suicide, a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation said today.

Another law-enforcement official said he had been found with a cut artery.

Markoff, 24, was alone in his cell when jail officials discovered his body one day after what would have been the one year anniversary of his wedding.

Previously, it was reported at Blink on Crime that Philip Markoff had tried to hang himself with his shoe laces back in April 2009.

Read more

Craigslist with Another Black Eye … Baby for Adoption, of 7 Month Old Jake Brennan Ad Scam

The law of unintended consequences when family blog meets scam artists.

More bad PR for Craigslist …

The mother of of 7 month old Jake Brennan was horrified to learn that a picture of her son was used on Craigslist advertising his own adoption. Just one problem, he was not up for adoption. The picture has since been taken down.

MyFOXBoston reports that a stranger alerted Jenni Brennan of Abington, Mass. to the photo, which involved her 7-month-old son, Jake, in an online adoption scam. The ad read: “A CUTE BABY BOY FOR ADOPTION HE IS VERY HEALTHY AND READY FOR ADOPTION FOR MORE YOU COME BACK TO US.”

Brennan responded to the ad, receiving an email describing her son as Canadian but currently living in an African orphanage.

So how did the scammers find the picture of 7 month old Jake Brennan? From the Brennan’s family blog. Makes one think a second about making their entire family open to the world, doesn’t it?

So Brennan tried responding to the ad herself, and sure enough, an e-mail was sent to her using her son’s picture, describing him as a child born in Canada, but now living in an orphanage in the African nation of Cameroon.

The scammers didn’t bother to cover up their tracks either. Inside of the e-mail, Brennan could easily see that the photo was taken from her family blog.

What is the responsibility of Craigslist to actually verify in some way the ads on their site?