Stupid Perp Tricks, Windy City Edition

Lesson #1: When you rob a place at gunpoint, barefaced for the cameras, don't make it a regular stop:

Terrance Lofton, 21, of the 11100 block of South Esmond Street, was arrested outside the Dunkin' Donuts store at 10401 S. Western Ave. that investigatorssuspect he robbed Thursday, Nov. 3 and Oct. 16, said Police Officer JoAnn Taylor.

Investigators saw Lofton and another man approaching the Dunkin' Donuts about 11:40 p.m. Sunday and stopped Lofton because his description matched that of the suspect given by witnesses of the robberies and from video images taken by the store's security camera, Taylor said.

Lesson #2: When they've got you on tape and you haven't bothered to hide your identity, you should probably cop a plea:

A community activist was found guilty Monday of trying to extort $20,000 from a gospel singer and her husband, baseball player Gary Sheffield, by threatening to publicize an embarrassing sex video.

[snip]

U.S. District Judge Samuel Der-Yeghiayan set Mosley's sentencing for Jan. 18. He faces up to 44 years in prison, prosecutors said.

[snip]

Mosley told a Yankees media official about the tape and wanted to know "how much is it worth to them," Butler said.

The team steered him to Williams, who is based in Chicago, and Williams contacted the FBI. Two weeks of conversations led to Mosley asking for $20,000, prosecutors said.

Petro argued that in a true extortion plot, Mosley would not have used his real name and real address and wouldn't have driven his own car to meet Williams.