Federal authorities hope to turn Facebook friends and Twitter followers into an international network of potential tipsters as they hunt for a Dravosburg man accused of killing his fellow armored car guard and making off with $2.3 million.
The FBI featured its wanted poster for Kenneth Konias Jr., 22, on its Facebook page on Tuesday, the first time a case out of the Pittsburgh office has been chosen for the site, FBI Special Agent Robert Ambrosini said.
"What we envision is someone at a diner seeing this Facebook page on their iPhone, and there's Mr. Konias," Ambrosini said. "And they call the number."
More than 350 people "liked" the Konias posting by late last night, and 302 people shared it. Ambrosini said users downloaded the poster more than 600 times. The FBI's website prompts people to share a link to the poster on Twitter or Facebook.
"It's a way of reaching a whole other audience," Ambrosini said. Before, a person might have seen the poster by walking into a post office. "Now you have access right on your iPhone or Blackberry," he said.
The FBI asks anyone with information on Konias' whereabouts to call 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324). The agency issued a federal warrant for his arrest last week. Pittsburgh police charged him with homicide, robbery and theft.
Konias is accused of shooting Michael Haines, 31, of East McKeesport in the back of the head while the two were working for Garda Cash Logistics and stealing about $2.3 million from the truck.
Police and Garda employees discovered Haines' body in the cargo area of the armored truck while it idled beneath the 31st Street Bridge in the Strip District on Feb 28. Surveillance video showed Konias running to his Ford Explorer and speeding away. He admitted the killing in a phone call to a friend, then asked the friend to go with him and asked about extradition laws, according to a criminal complaint.
Police believe Konias has three guns and may have bulletproof vests. Ambrosini said tips continue to come in, but he would not elaborate.
"This is how these fugitive investigations go," Ambrosini said. "Sometimes you apprehend them in a few days, or it may take weeks and months. ... We certainly don't forget he's out there, and the public won't forget that he's out there at large."
The Facebook posting can be found at http://www.facebook.com/FBI?sk•wall.
The FBI's social media strategy will extend its reach beyond just people who visit the agency's Facebook page, said Chris Boudreaux, a social media expert and founder of socialmediagovernance.com.
"I have friends who work at the FBI, but I don't personally follow the fan page," Boudreaux said. "If they share something and I see it, it doesn't matter that I don't follow the FBI fan page. You don't necessarily need a lot of people following it to get a lot of traction or a lot of visibility."
The FBI can potentially reach more people through social networking than through posters at offices or even through TV broadcasts, he said.
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