It doesn’t take a genius to be a criminal. In fact, some of the dumbest people in the world turn to a life of crime to survive. This list is full of dumb criminals who were probably going to get caught at some point, but their lack of spelling skills expedited their fate as inmates. Not every criminal on this list is as dumb as the guy who tried to rob two banks with the same misspelled note and ended up empty-handed. Some of them just became careless, and stopped using their spellcheck when they committed crimes. We obviously don’t condone anything illegal, but if you’re going to turn into the next enemy of the state, do yourself a favor and learn something from these dumb criminals who were caught because of spelling errors.
Take note, future robbers, kidnappers, and con men: criminals caught by spelling mistakes are the least cool guys in prison. Remember, Robert Durst notwithstanding, Hollywood only makes movies about vigilante bank robbers who go down in a blaze of glory, not criminals caught because of spelling errors. You probably won’t even show up on Cops, but everyone on the Internet will laugh at you.
If you have no plans to turn to a life of crime, this list is still full of healthy reminders that you should always double check your work, and don’t get too cocky for an editor. If you do, there’s a good chance you’ll end up in word jail. Check out these stupid crimes related to spelling, and then go buy a dictionary.
Criminals Who Were Foiled by Their Own Spelling Mistakes,
Bank Teller Can't Read Robber's Note So He Leaves Empty-Handed
In 2013, Maurice Fearwell tried to rob two separate banks with the same misspelled note, but had to walk away empty-handed both times when the tellers couldn't understand what he wanted. When a teller asked Fearwell what he wanted, Fearwell produced a note that read, "all mona."
Spelling Mistake Unravels Art Smuggling Ring
Shaun Greenhalgh turned the art world upside down when it was revealed that he'd made a mint forging art pieces in his back yard. The most expensive forgery was a £440,000 statue, which he claimed was 3,300 years old and represented the Princess Amarna, daughter of Pharaoh Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti. He was caught when detectives spotted a spelling error in the cuneiform script of a set of "Assyrian" stone reliefs.
Man Selling Fake Soccer Shirts Somehow Misspells China
Any old map will tell you that it's spelled China, and not "Chiana." So why Paul Potter, a guy who was caught forging bogus Premier League soccer shirts, couldn't be bothered to look at a globe is a real mystery.
Robert Durst Misspells Beverly, Does a Lot of Other Dumb Stuff
Thanks to HBO's The Jinx, Robert Durst will forever be known as the criminal who solved his own case by forgetting to take off his mic. But he was already a suspect WAAAAAY before that gaffe. Durst was already heavily suspected in multiple murders thanks to his eccentric way of spelling the word "Beverly."
That may be bad, but it has nothing compared to this idiot.
Murder Plot Unraveled Thanks to a Spelling Error
On Christmas 2013, a 55-year-old British woman tried to poison her husband and make it look like a suicide attempt. Unfortunately her plan went belly up when she handed over her husband's "suicide note," which not only featured a massive misspelling of the word "dignity" but was also missing a signature. Oh well, you know what they say about plans.
Murderer Misspells Name When Forging Documents
Despite leaving no evidence and hiding the body so securely that it was never found, Rajvinder Singh, the murderer of Pushpa Verma, signed "Puspha Verma" on a power of attorney paper. This tipped off police to the possibility that things might not be on the up and up with Mr. Singh.
Bunny Thieves Caught Thanks to Ransom Note
Just before Easter 2015, a group of high school students stole a collection of bunnies from the Valle Verde Children's Center, near San Francisco. After the word went out on social media, the bunnies were returned with a note full of fun new spellings. The letter read, "Sorry we feel bad about taking them from the kids. Good intensians (sic), only bad idea," The letter was signed, "Bunny theifs" (sic).
The students received community service for their damage done against the community.
Grammar Helps Solve Yorkshire Girl's Murder
When Jenny Nicholl disappeared from Yorkshire in 2005, linguistic analysts were able to determine that texts were sent from her phone by her murder after she was killed. Their evidence showed that Nicholl routinely spelled out "I am" and "myself" in text messages, but after she disappeared the texts changed to "im" and "meself," which were common features of her murderer's text speak.
Tax Scam Goes Bust When Woman Misspells Tax Info
A long-running husband and wife scam was brought down when Roma Sims tried to list a group of children as dependents on her tax return, only to be busted when she misspelled their names.
Con Man Is Apparently Not the Biggest Mets Fan
You'd think that if you were going to impersonate someone you'd at least learn how to spell their name. Well not Michael Conway, who attempted to cheat an investor out of $3 million, but didn't realize that the name of the Mets CEO is "Jeff WIlpon," not "Jeffery."