Police arrest Jacksonville man accused of using Facebook Marketplace to lure robbery victims

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said at a press conference Wednesday that the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office arrested an 18-year-old man last month who is accused of using Facebook Marketplace to set up two armed robberies.

Waters urged the community to use safe practices when setting up any kind of in-person transaction online.

“I urge you to set the location of these transactions at the police substations at each of our six districts,” Waters said. “If these transactions are conducted during daylight hours, in the presence of law enforcement, the likelihood that they will devolve into robberies is very, very low.”

Both of the alleged victims of Michael Sanders III responded to posts advertising a used iPhone and when they showed up to buy the phone a gun was pulled on them instead and Sanders took money from them, JSO said.

One of the reported victims led law enforcement to Sanders by picking his photo out of a lineup.