Cyberstalker, Burglar Foiled by Internet

And some neighborhood vigilance. A persistent accuser and victim searched the net and connected the dots, but the personal cost has been considerable.

Jicheng "Kevin" Liu was a prolific burglar with a mean streak who cyberstalked anyone who crossed him, Cook County prosecutors say.

In retaliation for his arrest in the theft of a stroller, Liu ran online ads claiming his accuser performed acts of prostitution out of her Roscoe Village residence, authorities said. The woman and her husband were awakened in the middle of the night several times earlier this year by men at their front door who thought they had appointments for sex.

Prosecutors said Liu sometimes mistakenly targeted the wrong people, then unleashed a torrent of malicious allegations online against them. [snip]

According to a 55-page complaint for a search warrant, one alleged victim's own investigative work proved crucial to linking Liu to vicious cyberattacks. The Lincoln Park homeowner spotted Liu stealing a package from his front porch in March 2011, but Liu managed to escape, authorities said.

After the person spotted Liu apparently casing the neighborhood in August, police found him hiding under a porch, according to the complaint. But the misdemeanor trespassing charge was later thrown out of court.

Authorities believe, however, that Liu learned the identity of his accuser from a police report documenting his arrest.

The thief has been here illegally for 10 years and will probably be deported to China. The state will probably put him to work.