"escapades not only went unpunished"

History If you're going to perpetrate a hoax, it helps if you choose the right target. The Atlantic reports:

"Each tale was carefully fabricated by undergraduates at George Mason University who were enrolled in T. Mills Kelly's course, Lying About the Past. Their escapades not only went unpunished, they were actually encouraged by their professor. Four years ago, students created a Wikipedia page detailing the exploits of Edward Owens, successfully fooling Wikipedia's community of editors. This year, though, one group of students made the mistake of launching their hoax on Reddit. What they learned in the process provides a valuable lesson for anyone who turns to the Internet for information."

Sometimes I wonder how many crimes would be solved if the details were posted online and Reddit or Mefi went at it.