New York State Police have arrested a man accused of posting his children for sale on Craigslist.
Joshua Stagnitto told police it was a joke, said Investigator Bryan R. Blum of New York State Police in Rochester. Stagnitto turned himself in when he got transportation to come to the police station, Blum said.
Stagnitto, 24, of Brockport, is charged with one count of falsely reporting an incident in the third degree.
Blum told CNN the charge against Stagnitto stems from the fact "that he indicated a baseless allegation of a crime which caused public alarm" and triggered an investigation.
A member of the public called child protective services earlier in April after seeing the post. Authorities began a probe, and had to "make sure that if there are two kids for sale, that they be tracked down and nothing happened to them," Blum said.
When questioned by police, Stagnitto admitted he put the posting on Craigslist, the investigator said.
The two children remain with Stagnitto and their mother, whom Blum described as Stagnitto's "significant other."
Police do not believe the children are in any danger, he said.
If convicted of the misdemeanor charge, Stagnitto could face up to a year in jail or a fine of up to $1,000, Blum said.
Clearly, a man with way too much time on his hands. Book him on a felony boredom.
Yeah, it was silly to post your kids for sale on Craigslist as a joke, but this is a stupid charge. Falsely reporting an incident? WTF?
When I was a kid, I made a sign that said "Mother for sale" and put it in my front yard. Maybe the illustrious NY State Police should have arrested me for making a false report too?
You'd think with all the other problems that NY State has (incompetent governor, corruption, rampant welfare abuse, illegal immigrants...), they'd find a better use of their manpower.
Americans, stop making morons out of yourselves!
There are better causes for police work and investigation. What a ridiculous "charge"!
The guy is an idiot and should be serving time for stupidity if nothing else. There is nothing funny about putting children for sale. Lock him up please.
bottom-line: this guy doesn't deserve to have the gift of children if the very thought of putting them up for sale entered his 'it's about me' mind. and we wonder 'why' we have jerry springer kids. do your kids a favor mister – give them up for adopton – to a loving couple who would NEVER think (let alone think it was funny) to put their kids on craig's list. Seriousely... God help you!
Stupid father
This was obviously a joke, but not a funny one. No matter how ridiculous the ad sounded, it still has got to be investigated. There are a lot of sickos out there who really engage in this sort of activity, and the safety of innocent children must always be a top priority. Should he be put in jail or fined? Not unless evidence is found to suggest he may have been remotely serious. I think he was more trying to draw attention to the way that children in our society are being treated like commodities much like pets. Bought and sold, traded and exchanged. If that was his intention, at least he was successful. Sometimes our society does need a slap in the face every once in a while to wake everyone up to the realities of what is going on out there.
Oh, the things people will do to land on failblog.Seriously not funny man!
MP wrote: "Of course it was a joke. Nobody would be that dumb."
And what planet do YOU live on? 🙂
Jokes are fine, but seeing what kind of wicked society we are living in at this time, it was really dumb and more than naiive for him to do that.
This is just another instance of wasted taxpayers money.
use your head, these days you can't roll with stuff like that. Think of the kind of responses he may have gotten from individuals who were serioulsy interested...shudder to think...although I personally see it as a joke, it was irresponsible. He should pay the fine as a "stupid move" fee, using resources that could have been focusing on real kids in crisis...
This article is great because it offers a rare opportunity to have a self-conducted "Uptightness" test. Please read the article then refer to the results below for your score.
1. If you read this and felt that the father was wrong or evil, and should be charged with a crime, you are "Uptight." You should question your reactions to other people's behavior, and see if there is a correlation with the number of friends you have.
2. If you read this and felt the father to have a bad sense of humor, but should not be charged with a crime, you are "just right." Congratulations! You are a well-adjusted human being.
3. If you read this and felt the father's joke was hilarious, you are "too loose." You may consider getting sensitivity training to improve your ability to see how your actions affect others.
The point is that because of the listing an investication HAD to be done. That costs taxpayers money.
"Blum told CNN the charge against Stagnitto stems from the fact "that he indicated a baseless allegation of a crime which caused public alarm" and triggered an investigation"
He is being charged BECAUSE it was a joke. I don't think the jury will weigh in on how funny it was.
What this is, is another example of unnecessary spending by the out of control authorities in NYS. This guy typed at the bottom of the ad, THIS IS A JOKE. The amount of money spent on this is a joke. Idiots