Crime

Alleged Facebook schemer removes ankle bracelet

Paul Ceglia, charged with an alleged scheme to defraud Facebook, has removed his ankle-monitoring device, a law enforcement official said Monday.

According to the fraud charges presented by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, Ceglia fabricated evidence to support his claim to part ownership of the social network. It is also unclear why he removed the monitoring device from his ankle.

"We do not know his current whereabouts and we are told officials are investigating," Gil Messina, one of Ceglia's attorneys, told CNBC on Monday.

Facebook declined CNBC's request for comment.

Ceglia's trial is slated for May 4 but the presiding judge just added a hearing for Tuesday morning.

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—CNBC's Jim Forkin contributed to this report.