# DEA Agent Creates Fake Facebook Page **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 15, 2014, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dea-agent-creates-fake-facebook-page/701404 "2014-10-15T14:39:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dea-agent-creates-fake-facebook-page/701404/1 "2014-10-15T14:39:08Z")
The latest Stupid Police Trick – online identity theft: > [@](#): > > The Justice Department is claiming, in a little-noticed court filing, that a federal agent had the right to impersonate a young woman online by creating a Facebook page in her name without her knowledge. Government lawyers also are defending the agent’s right to scour the woman’s seized cell phone and to post photographs — including racy pictures of her and even one of her young son and niece — to the phony social media account, which the agent was using to communicate with suspected criminals. > > The woman, Sondra Arquiett, who then went by the name Sondra Prince, first learned her identity had been commandeered in 2010 when a friend asked about the pictures she was posting on her Facebook page. There she was, for anyone with an account to see — posing on the hood of a BMW, legs spread, or, in another, wearing only skimpy attire. She was surprised; she hadn’t even set up a Facebook page. > > The account was actually set up by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Timothy Sinnigen… Now that the case has become public knowledge, it is “under review by Justice Department officials”. I’m not holding my breath waiting for Sinnigen to be punished for his various civil and criminal offenses (just off the top of my head: breach of contract, copyright violation, and reckless endangerment). ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dea-agent-creates-fake-facebook-page/701404/2 "2014-10-15T14:50:26Z")
The police are engaged in _copyright infringement_ now? Say it ain’t so! WHEN WILL THE ABUSES END?!?!?!?! ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dea-agent-creates-fake-facebook-page/701404/3 "2014-10-15T15:15:11Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > WHEN WILL THE ABUSES END? When enough police are punished severely enough for perpetrating them\*, and when the power to commit misdeeds is taken away from them in the first place (e.g. no doubt Ms Arquiett wishes that she’d properly secured her cell phone and kept snoops out of it). \*Applying the “with great power comes great responsibility” principle, police should be punished more severely for a given offense than the Teeming Millions, up to and including the death penalty – carried out publicly with a Danny-Deeveresque public degrading before his former peers prior to execution – for particularly aggravated cases. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dea-agent-creates-fake-facebook-page/701404/4 "2014-10-15T15:47:19Z")
Well, it does give a person one hell of an out. Heh, you know all that crazy shit I’ve put out on the net? Totally not me, just the po pos trying to catch some crazy assed person. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dea-agent-creates-fake-facebook-page/701404/5 "2014-10-15T16:08:10Z")
Maybe I’ve been watching too many movies, but wouldn’t this be putting the woman at risk by unfairly associating her name (and pictures) with fishing for evidence? ---
**Author:** ![Bouncer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9d8465/32.png) [@Bouncer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bouncer)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dea-agent-creates-fake-facebook-page/701404/6 "2014-10-15T16:13:06Z")
She’s at increased risk sure. However since this became public it’s now known that she was originally cooperating with the police, she just had no knowledge of this specific act. Soooooo she’s in increased danger in either case. More so, now (IMO). Regards, -Bouncer- ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dea-agent-creates-fake-facebook-page/701404/7 "2014-10-15T17:42:55Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > The police are engaged in _copyright infringement_ now? Say it ain’t so! WHEN WILL THE ABUSES END?!?!?!?! Imagine it was being done to you or your family, and somebody tracks you guys down thinking you’re the one posting. Are you still so nonchalant about their actions? What if the DEA Agent, posting as your kids, said to meet him somewhere for sex to entrap the guy, and your kids get hurt because of that? ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dea-agent-creates-fake-facebook-page/701404/8 "2014-10-15T19:17:37Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Imagine it was being done to you or your family, and somebody tracks you guys down thinking you’re the one posting. Are you still so nonchalant about their actions? > > What if the DEA Agent, posting as your kids, said to meet him somewhere for sex to entrap the guy, and your kids get hurt because of that? Dude, relax. It’s just **Smapti**. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dea-agent-creates-fake-facebook-page/701404/9 "2014-10-15T19:50:36Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Imagine it was being done to you or your family, and somebody tracks you guys down thinking you’re the one posting. Are you still so nonchalant about their actions? > > What if the DEA Agent, posting as your kids, said to meet him somewhere for sex to entrap the guy, and your kids get hurt because of that? If it was _me_ me? I’d probably sue. But that’s not the scenario we’re talking about - no one has retaliated against this woman, and she wasn’t just some random civilian - she was part of the drug ring the police were trying to bust, to which she has already plead guilty in a previous proceeding. This is just old-fashioned detective work using new tools to make it easier. The greatest offense the police have committed is violating Facebook’s Terms of Service (which I can’t imagine anyone not employed by Facebook losing a minute of sleep over). ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dea-agent-creates-fake-facebook-page/701404/10 "2014-10-15T20:41:36Z")
And pictures of the woman’s kids and nieces and nephews being posted? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dea-agent-creates-fake-facebook-page/701404/11 "2014-10-15T20:54:15Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > And pictures of the woman’s kids and nieces and nephews being posted? He couldn’t see those-The cop ass in front of his face was blocking the view. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dea-agent-creates-fake-facebook-page/701404/12 "2014-10-15T21:03:37Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > The greatest offense the police have committed is violating Facebook’s Terms of Service (which I can’t imagine anyone not employed by Facebook losing a minute of sleep over). Well bless your heart, you’re just a special kind of stupid, aren’t you? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dea-agent-creates-fake-facebook-page/701404/13 "2014-10-15T21:12:44Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > And pictures of the woman’s kids and nieces and nephews being posted? What about them? The police had the legal right to use the pictures they lawfully seized from her phone. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dea-agent-creates-fake-facebook-page/701404/14 "2014-10-15T21:17:28Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Well, it does give a person one hell of an out. > > Heh, you know all that crazy shit I’ve put out on the net? Just ask **Hal Briston**'bout that. 🙂 sorry, that was baaaaaad ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dea-agent-creates-fake-facebook-page/701404/15 "2014-10-15T21:23:09Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > This is just old-fashioned detective work using new tools to make it easier. It’s so true. No different than when we used to take a suspect, wire his nuts up to a coil and battery, and make them call all their scum friends to a meet, so we could bust em and take the moonshine. Good old-fashioned detective work, it beats having a day job ---
**Author:** ![jimbuff314](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c57346/32.png) [@jimbuff314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimbuff314)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dea-agent-creates-fake-facebook-page/701404/16 "2014-10-15T21:31:53Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > The police are engaged in _copyright infringement_ now? Say it ain’t so! WHEN WILL THE ABUSES END?!?!?!?! 11 minutes after OP. Just curious, is that fast for him or what? I know the other day he took several hours to get to a cops-done-wrong thread but I heard he was tied up in traffic and also attended an event at his local precinct that ran long. I just know that I can hardly wait for him to get to 1983 in his ongoing series of polls about the best #1 single of the year. I’ve got some smack to post about a group Sting used to be in. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dea-agent-creates-fake-facebook-page/701404/17 "2014-10-15T22:25:37Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > If it was _me_ me? I’d probably sue. But that’s not the scenario we’re talking about - no one has retaliated against this woman… Yet. No one has retaliated against her YET. If/when that happens, she likely will be unable to sue. Corpses hire no attorneys. Are you seriously saying that a crime has not been committed because nobody has broken her kneecaps YET? When they do, this will magically turn into a crime? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dea-agent-creates-fake-facebook-page/701404/18 "2014-10-15T22:28:12Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Are you seriously saying that a crime has not been committed because nobody has broken her kneecaps YET? When they do, this will magically turn into a crime? Well, yes. That’s how crimes generally _work_ - they have to happen before they can be considered crimes. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2014, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dea-agent-creates-fake-facebook-page/701404/19 "2014-10-15T23:03:28Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > \*Applying the “with great power comes great responsibility” principle… But that’s the great thing about having power, you don’t need responsibility. That’s for suckers lower on the food chain. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dea-agent-creates-fake-facebook-page/701404/20 "2014-10-16T00:49:54Z")
> [@FXMastermind](#): > > It’s so true. No different than when we used to take a suspect, wire his nuts up to a coil and battery, and make them call all their scum friends to a meet, so we could bust em and take the moonshine. > > Good old-fashioned detective work, it beats having a day job Ultimately, this is one of the ways in which tolerating police abuse makes the public less safe – allowing them to get away with not doing their jobs properly turns the police into useless parasites. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dea-agent-creates-fake-facebook-page/701404.md?page=2)