List of crimes involving a silicone mask explained

Realistic silicone masks can be obtained cheaply and have been used in crimes throughout the world. Silicone masks have been used as a disguise to conceal identity to perpetrate crimes.[1]

Incidents

Year Perpetrator Crime Reference
2002Conrad ZdzierakA white man used a mask he bought from SPFXmasks to appear as a black man and committed robberies in Cincinnati, Ohio. A man who looked like the mask was wrongfully convicted of the crime. Only after the girlfriend of the real criminal found the mask and some ink-stained money and reported it to the police did authorities realize their mistake.[2] [3]
2010Mr. X Air Canada Flight 018 Stowaway Incident

A young man taking the Air Canada Flight 018 from Hong Kong to Vancouver wore a silicone mask to impersonate a white elderly man, to use someone else's identification to get into Canada.

[4]
2011Geezer BanditA Southern California bank robber known as the Geezer Bandit used a silicone mask to look like an old man. [5] [6]
2014Benoit ConstantA black man in his twenties used a mask to appear as an elderly white man to rob banks in North Carolina. Identified by police based on CCTV camera images of the get away vehicle.[7]
2019Gilbert Chikli and Anthony Lasarevitsch Wore a silicone mask to impersonate French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. In this disguise he and several others contacted politicians, business figures and large organizations across the world over Skype, claiming that France was gathering ransom money in secret to free journalists being held hostage in the Middle East by Islamist terrorists, scamming at least €55 million out of three victims before being caught.[8] [9] [10]
2019Clauvino da Silva (Drug Lord)He had his 19-year-old daughter visit him in prison in Brazil. In a bid to escape he wore a silicone mask to look like her, plus a wig and her clothing, and tried to sneak out, leaving her behind. [11]
2020John CollettiWore a mask to appear to be older, and used fake driver's licenses at casino self-service kiosks to steal money from people's bank accounts.[12]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: US criminals using film quality masks during bank robberies. December 10, 2010. www.telegraph.co.uk.
  2. Web site: White Robber Used Black Mask to Evade Arrest. ABC News. en. 2019-11-03.
  3. Web site: Hutcheon . Stephen . Meet the man behind the mask . The Courier . 2010-11-10 . 2021-06-30.
  4. News: Hong Kong conviction over 'old man' plane disguise. 2011-10-17. 2019-11-02. en-GB. 0307-1235.
  5. Web site: Hollywood’s silicone masks used to commit crimes, most people can’t distinguish from real faces. Loughran. Jack. 2017-11-16. eandt.theiet.org. en-US. 2019-11-03.
  6. Web site: ‘Hyper-realistic’ masks put new faces on crime. Bernstein. Sharon. 2010-12-09. The Seattle Times. en-US. 2019-11-03.
  7. Web site: North Carolina bank robber caught after using latex mask to look like old man: cops . New York Daily News . 19 May 2021.
  8. Web site: How scammers used a silicone mask and Skype to impersonate a French minister and steal $90 million. El-Ghobashy. Tamer . Washington Post. en. 2019-11-02.
  9. Web site: Schofield . Hugh . The fake French minister in a silicone mask who stole millions . BBC News . BBC.
  10. Web site: Gang impersonated Jean-Yves Le Drian, sometimes with lookalike mask, to dupe rich and famous. www.theguardian.com. Agence France-Presse in Paris. March 11, 2020. March 12, 2020.
  11. Web site: Gang leader disguises himself in silicone mask of his daughter's face in jailbreak bid. 2019-08-05. The Independent. en. 2019-11-02.
  12. Web site: A man using a prosthetic mask stole more than $100,000 at casinos, prosecutors say. 2020-07-27. CBS58. en.

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