Man Allegedly Tried to Sell Girlfriend's Baby on Craigslist for $100
A 22-year-old man from Staten Island was arrested last week for attempting to sell his girlfriend's baby on Craigslist for $100.
On July 29, Paul Marquez reportedly posted the following ad, along with a photo of the baby, on the website's “baby+kids” section:
"Heyy I have a 2 month old baby name [redacted] she loves to play nd have her little fun but there is only 1 problem, the doctor said that she has asthma nd if she turns a certain way she can stop breathing, she's really getting on my nerves nd I don't want her Please email me.”
That ad was quickly flagged and removed, but Marquez posted a second ad the next day. That post stayed up longer, sources told the Staten Island Advance.
The second ad resulted in two calls to the NYPD's 121st precinct who, with the help of the NYPD's Computer Crimes Squad, eventually tracked the postings back to Marquez's apartment.
According to court papers filed on Monday, Marquez posted the ads to “get back at” at the girlfriend. Police say he also included the woman's number in the advertisement, and the woman reported receiving one call offering to buy the infant.
"The reason why I decided to put this post (up) was because I got bored and wanted to get a little laugh and a little kick out of it," Marquez said, according to sources contacted by the Staten Island Advance.
Marquez was arrested on charges of second-degree aggravated harassment, endangering the welfare of a child, and two counts of social services law violation. If convicted, Marquez faces up to a year in jail.
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