On the lam for decades, fugitive’s Facebook account dooms him

A fugitive on the run for 21 years is learning the hard way that it’s best not to have a Facebook account if you’re trying to avoid the long arm of the law.

Apparently, fugitive Francisco Legaspi didn’t get that memo. The former California tax-preparer pleaded guilty Thursday in a San Francisco federal court to charges (PDF) that he fled prosecution for filing false tax returns in 1993, initially landing in Mexico and eventually settling in Canada.

US Attorney Melinda Haag’s office in San Francisco said the 61-year-old fugitive was apprehended “after the US Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security researched social media websites and found Legaspi’s Facebook page. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police used the information to apprehend Legaspi.”