Woman robbed in Craigslist scam

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By Alexis Stevens

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A Cobb County woman says she has used the online site Craigslist numerous times in the past to sell things for extra cash.

Cobb County Sheriff's Office Diante Thompson, 22, is accused of forcing a woman into a closet while he stole items from her apartment. He met the woman through Craigslist.

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Now, she's thinking twice after becoming the victim of a terrifying crime. A man she thought had planned to purchase items from her instead robbed her and barricaded her in a closet.

Nicole Manning of Marietta told the AJC she posted an advertisement to sell jewelry and included her phone number. A man named Diante Thompson of Norcross answered the ad. When the two talked on the phone, Manning said she also told Thompson she wanted to sell some exotic birds.

Manning said Thompson was very friendly when he arrived at her apartment March 21. Until he allegedly pulled out a silver handgun and started grabbing her stuff.

"He said, ‘If I put you in a closet, are you gonna scream?' I said no." Manning said. "He put me in the closet and shoved a chair into the door."

Manning said the man told her to wait 10 minutes before coming out. And when she did, she found the man she'd trusted had robbed her.

"He was waiting for the right time," Manning said.

Gone were her laptop, cell phone and assorted jewelry. She borrowed a neighbor's cell phone to call Marietta police.

Manning said she couldn't remember any of Thompson's personal information. But she said authorities told her fingerprints left behind linked Thompson to the crime.

Thompson was arrested late last month in Florida and transported to the Cobb County jail, where he was being held Thursday night without bond. He faces armed robbery, false imprisonment and possession of a firearm during commission of a felony charges.

Manning said she has used Craigslist once again since the incident but is much more cautious. In the future, she says, she'll insist on meeting a potential buyer in a public place.