David Schwimmer lookalike who was caught on CCTV stealing beer jailed for nine months for theft and fraud
A British man who went viral on social media for his startling resemblance to 'Friends' star David Schwimmer after cops released a photo showing him stealing cans of beer has now been jailed for theft and fraud.
Abdulah Husseini, 36, of Slough, became the talk of the internet after the Blackpool Police uploaded an image of him on their Facebook page and asked citizens for any leads regarding his whereabouts.
Police said he had walked into an all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant at a Lancashire resort in Blackpool last September, swiped a customer's wallet from his jacket while he was away from his table, and then used the stolen bank card to make or attempt fraudulent purchases at four shops.
He first used the card to make two successful purchases at nearby stores before being caught on a now-infamous still from a CCTV camera that showed him carrying cans of beers to the till at an Iceland store.
The post, which was uploaded after Husseini failed to show up in court, quickly garnered more than 30,000 likes and 11 million shares, with several thousand marveling over how he looked like a carbon copy of Schwimmer.
The 'FRIENDS' star got into the act too.
The 52-year-old actor posted a video on his Twitter account that showed him shuffling through a convenience store carrying a carton of beer, much like Husseini, and then looking guiltily up at the camera.
"Officers, I swear it wasn't me," he wrote. "As you can see, I was in New York. To the hardworking Blackpool Police, good luck with the investigation. #itwasntme"
Husseini was apprehended a few days later, and it emerged that this wasn't his first such offense.
According to the Guardian, Husseini, an Iranian international, has 32 previous convictions for 60 offenses since 2008.
Of those offenses, 27 were for theft and dishonesty.
During a two-day trial, the Burnley Crown Court heard how Husseini had traveled throughout the country and committed crimes in England, Scotland, and Wales.
On Thursday, August 15, the 36-year-old, who was described as a "traveling, wandering, nomadic thief,' was convicted by a jury of one count of theft and four counts of fraud by false representation.
Judge Sara Dodd told him he had an "appalling criminal history" and that he was "a habitual thief" before sentencing him to nine months behind bars.
She informed him that he 'may be released very soon' on license after he had, in effect, already served half his nine-month term awaiting the trial.
He was remanded into custody since he had already served an 18-week jail term handed down to him at the Wimbledon Magistrates' Court this past January for offenses of handling stolen goods, theft, and possession of a knife.