A Chicago man has been accused of committing a string of robberies by arranging meetings via Facebook Marketplace. Prosecutors say his most recent arrest came while he was on probation for a previous robbery charge.
Tuwayne Bell, 20, was arrested in connection with at least eight robberies, CWB Chicago reported. Prosecutor Jack Ruggiero alleged Bell arranged deals to buy or sell electronics on the online marketplace, only to produce a gun after meeting the alleged victims.
He was charged with eight counts of armed robbery and one count of aggravated robbery, per CWB Chicago.
A Cook County inmate record for Bell indicated he was booked Sunday and had a hearing scheduled for Monday. No bond amount is listed.
The U.S. Marshals Service tweeted on Friday that the agency’s Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force had worked with Chicago Police to arrest Bell, who was “wanted by [Chicago Police Department] in connection to 14 Armed Robberies in Chicago, IL.”
Ruggiero said police found the Facebook account used to arrange the meetings was registered using a phone number that belonged to Bell’s mother, who had used the same number when posting bail for Bell after previous arrests, per CWB Chicago.
Bell has been on probation since September 29 for a March 15 incident in which he allegedly robbed “a man of cigarettes and cash while holding his hand in his pocket as if he had a gun.”
An arrest record indicates Bell had previously been charged with aggravated robbery, driving on a suspended license, and criminal trespassing.
Police had previously issued a community alert for the area of South Austin warning that a small group of young men had been committing robberies – all initiated by arranging electronics sales via an online marketplace – at the 100 and 4400 blocks of West Washinton Boulevard, WGN 9 reported.
Bell has another hearing coming up on March 8, per the inmate record.
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