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Facebook Burglar Sentenced to 44 Months in Prison

By Cynthia Hsu, Esq. on May 05, 2011 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Most people use Facebook to share cherished memories with friends or family. Users upload pictures from their children's birthday parties, and friend's graudations.

Facebook burglar Rodney Knight uploaded a picture of himself, holding stolen goods, on his victim's Facebook page.

Last year, Knight, 19, broke into the house of Marc Fisher, a writer for The Washington Post and father of the victim, who later blogged about the incident. Knight stole a laptop, an iPod, savings bonds, and about $400 in cash.

Knight likely felt like he needed to share his exploits with the world - so he took a picture himself using the stolen laptop. He was wearing a stolen coat and holding the stolen cash. He then did the unexpected, and uploaded the photograph onto his victim's Facebook page.

Was this a taunt to the victim? A challenge to the police to see if they could find him?

Well, the police prevailed. Knight was quickly identified from the photograph and arrested a few weeks afterwards. When police caught up to the Facebook burglar, he was carrying a loaded pistol, reports The Post.

Knight pled guilty in February 2011, and was sentenced this week on burglary and weapon charges. He was sentenced to 44 months in jail.

Burglary statutes vary from state to state, but under most jurisdictions burglary is the breaking and entering of a house or building with the intent to commit a crime. Most people think of "burglary" as a masked (or unmasked, in this case) man sneaking into a bank or a house to steal something.

Contrary to most public perception, burglary can occur even if the perpetrator's intent was not to commit a theft, but to commit some other crime, like arson.

In movies, thieves often leave calling cards to build their reputation. Facebook burglar Rodney Knight's calling card - a photograph of himself holding the stolen goods - has definitely built him a reputation.

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