History Main / UnintentionallyNotoriousCrime

* In ''Film/OfficeSpace'', the characters create a software program which will take the rounded-off fractions of pennies from financial transactions from their employer and deposit it in a bank account they created -- an idea they stole from ''Film/SupermanIII''. They figure that the money would never be missed by Initech, the company they work for, because the theft would be so gradual. But when they check the account the following day, it has already deposited over $300,000, which definitely would be missed. Must have MisplacedADecimalPoint...

* On ''Series/TheWire'', in season 4 a state's witness from a key case is murdered in an alley, and the resultant scandal is so damaging that longshot candidate Carcetti winds up winning the mayoral election. After the election, Det. Griggs continues to investigate - and discovers it wasn't a murder in the first place, but two drunken idiots shooting bottles two blocks away.

* In one of ''Literature/LabyrinthsOfEcho''[='=] sequels; a forest witch who was feeling lonely enchanted and effectively kidnapped some likeable strangers... who happened to be the KingIncognito with his entourage. After the problem was resolved, she said something to the effect of "WhyDidntYouJustSaySo -- I'm crazy, not stupid".

* In the book ''{{Holes}}'', [[spoiler:Zero]] steals a pair of shoes. Little did he know that they were owned by a famous baseball player and were being sold for charity -- after he took them, he heard lots of people exclaiming, "The shoes are gone!" and shortly afterward, he heard police sirens and threw them away off a highway overpass, ([[spoiler:accidentally framing the protagonist in the process]]).
* In ''[[HiddenTalents True Talents]]'', Trash wants to buy some art supplies, but is strapped for cash. While at the bank, he gives in to temptation and uses his telekinesis to steal a wad of bills from a trolley. After leaving, he looks through them and realizes that they're all hundred dollar bills -- meaning he just walked off with thousands of dollars.

* In the EightySeventhPrecinct novel ''Lady, Lady, I Did It'', a shooter opens fire in a store and guns down four people. One of them happens to be Detective Bert Kling's fiancee, thereby guaranteeing that the crime has the attention of every cop in the city.

** In one of the season finales of ''CSINewYork'', the team are drinking in a bar when [[spoiler:the place is shot up in a drive by]]. The first episode of the next series reveals that the attackers were just planning an elaborate extortion plot and didn't know there were police in the bar.
* On ''SonsOfAnarchy'', this is a recurring problem for the eponymous biker gang. Their various illegal operations are highly profitable but require them to keep a low profile and avoid undue attention from law enforcement. This can be easier said than done for a bunch of violent bikers with anger issues.

* In ''Film/MurderInTheFirst'', the main character stole money from the till of a shop out of desperation. Because the shop in question had a post office, he was charged with a federal crime and ended up being punished as if he was a bank robber.

* A frequent event on ''Series/LawAndOrderCriminalIntent''. The victim will turn out to be a judge or a cop (or the relative of a judge or a cop), the victim or suspect will have mafia ties, or the case will draw a lot of media attention. This is necessary to keep the crime in the Major Case squad, instead of being reassigned to another division.

* In ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'', the main cast robs a bank that they don't know is owned by TheSyndicate. The Syndicate becomes the game's main antagonist.

->'''Cop''': ''You know, Pat [Kelly, whose funeral it was] would have gotten a kick out of this collar.''

* In the book ''{{Holes}}'', [[spoiler:Zero]] steals a pair of shoes. Little did he know that they were owned by a famous baseball player and were being sold for charity -- after he took them, he heard lots of people exclaiming, "The shoes are gone!" and shortly afterward, he heard police sirens and threw them away, ([[spoiler:accidentally framing the protagonist in the process]]).

* In ''Film/TheBankJob'', the criminals rob a bank which, while fairly high profile, should not have gotten them into the trouble it did. Turns out the bank was used by various shady characters to store their valuables and incriminating documents. The bank robbers quickly become the target of corrupt cops, drug dealers, and and a murderous porn baron. However, the trope is actually subverted since there was nothing 'accidental' about the mess. It is a gambit by MI-5 to retrieve politically embarrassing photographs.

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Crime doesn't ([[KarmaHoudini always]]) pay; you never know who your victim might be. Just because your victim didn't [[MuggingTheMonster turn out to be a superhero, alien assassin]] or a [[CollidingCriminalConspiracies fellow crook]] doesn't mean you've got away with it. You might find that things went a little bit too well and you've committed a crime that'll get you far more attention that you want; an UnintentionallyNotoriousCrime. You might discover that the random woman you've just robbed is TheCape's wife, and now his HeroSecretService is on your tail, or that bag you're running away with might carry the MacGuffin or perhaps you tried to steal a car and ended up "kidnapping" the kid in the back seat. Either way, you're in over your head.

The crime might escalate either because of the victim (either because they're rich, important or famous, getting a lot of unwanted attention or the media just happens to pick up on it) or because of the payoff (usually by stealing something more valuable than expected, either because [[MacGuffin everybody wants it]] or it's [[GrailInTheGarbage worth more than it appears]]). Note that the intended crime itself doesn't have to be minor; a SerialKiller drawing unwanted attention by picking a victim who happens to be important also fits, for example.

If it focuses on the criminals then it'll either focus on how in over their head they are (as they flee from the law and possibly other criminals) or be played as a case of CantGetAwayWithNuthin (especially if it's the "important victim" variant).

When the story focuses on detectives (or other law enforcement) investigating this trope it's often either revealed as a humorous twist (the "master criminal" turns out to be some lowlife in the wrong place at the wrong time) or a red herring (if a crime appears to be this trope [[GonnaNeedABiggerWarrant it'll usually be subverted]]). When the trope is in effect from the start and played straight to the end, it's usually so that there's a reason the detectives will be under pressure to solve the case.

Sister trope to AccidentalMurder (which may or may not be the result of a more minor crime). StupidCrooks are especially prone to this trope. For other cases of things going so well they go badly see GoneHorriblyRight. Compare RobbingTheMobBank, MuggingTheMonster and BullyingADragon, where the crime is ''foiled'' because the crooks are in over their head and CollidingCriminalConspiracies when it's foiled because they're caught up in another crime. This trope can lead to CrimeAfterCrime.

* In the ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'' episode "Embraced by a Disguised Net – CAPTIVATED", a member of an OrganLegging gang accidentally kidnaps the daughter of a politician who was denying their existence. The team are able to take advantage of this trope by having the politician denounce the gang to make the kidnapper panic (they know she's a professional who won't kill the girl). [[spoiler: It turns out that [[UnknownCharacter a rival]] had given her a list which included the politician's daughter so she'd be branded a traitor.]]

* In ''Film/MurderInTheFirst'', the main character stole money from the till of a shop out of desperation. Because the shop in question had a post office he was charged with a federal crime and ended up being punished as if he was a bank robber.
* In ''Film/TheBankJob'' the criminals rob a bank which while fairly high profile, should not have gotten them into the trouble it did. Turns out the bank was used by various shady characters to store their valuables and incriminating documents. The bank robbers quickly become the target of corrupt cops, drug dealers and and a murderous porn baron. However, the trope is actually subverted since there was nothing 'accidental' about the mess. It is a gambit by MI-5 to retrieve politically embarrassing photographs.
* In ''Film/OfficeSpace'', the characters create a software program which will take the rounded-off fractions of pennies from financial transactions from their employer and deposit it in a bank account they created- an idea they stole from ''Film/SupermanIII''. They figure that the money would never be missed by Initech, the company they work for, because the theft would be so gradual. But when they check the account the following day it has already deposited over $300,000, which definitely would be missed. Must have MisplacedADecimalPoint...
* In ''Film/StealingRembrandt'', some lowlife thugs plans to steal a painting by a relatively unknown artist for some easy cash, only to mistakenly grab the only Rembrandt in their country by accident. This touches off a nation-wide police search, deals with foreign mobsters and overall chaos for the petty thugs as they try to act like the professional thieves the press describes them to be.
* In ''Film/HarleyDavidsonAndTheMarlboroMan'', the protagonists steal bags of what they think is cash from a bank which belongs to the corporation that is trying to build an airport on their favorite bar; When they open the bags, they find nothing but a highly addictive and lethal new drug. The corperation wants it back and sends their best assassins after them.
* ''Film/TheChase'': Kidnapping a girl and taking her car would just be another notch on the getaway list of Jack Hammond...had the girl not been the daughter of the wealthiest man in California. Thus TheChase ensues.
* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory''. Woody is jealous of the attention Andy pays to Buzz Lightyear. He schemes to knock Buzz down behind a desk, which would inconvenience him but not hurt him. Instead, because of a series of accidents, Buzz is knocked out the room's window and the other toys want to lynch Woodie because they think he intended to knock Buzz out the window.

* In one of ''Literature/LabyrinthsOfEcho'' sequels; a forest witch who was feeling lonely enchanted and effectively kidnapped some likeable strangers... who happened to be the KingIncognito with his entourage. After the problem was resolved, she said something to the effect of "WhyDidntYouJustSaySo -- I'm crazy, not stupid".
* In ''[[Literature/TalesOfTheKettyJay Retribution Falls]]'', Darian Frey raids the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Ace Of Skulls]], believing it to be a freighter transporting gemstones, but when it explodes after taking one shot and bodies fall out, it becomes clear that it was a liner; Darian Frey later learns that one the passengers was the son of a duke.
* In the book ''{{Holes}}'', [[spoiler: Zero]] steals a pair of shoes. Little did he know that they were owned by a famous baseball player and were being sold for charity - after he took them, he heard lots of people exclaiming, "The shoes are gone!" and shortly afterward, he heard police sirens and threw them away ([[spoiler: accidentally framing the protagonist in the process]]).

* In ''Literature/JudgeDee'', an influential criminal tries to kill the judge by trapping him and his deputies under a huge bell, nearly suffocating them. When they manage to prove he was the culprit, he admits to it but tries to pass it off as a prank gone wrong, finally setting on the charge of assault, hoping his connections will let him go free... only for Dee to remind everyone that as a judge in office he represents the state and the will of the Emperor - and as such, assaulting him constitutes high treason, punishible by CruelAndUnusualDeath (getting pulled apart by four buffalos) .

* In the pilot of ''{{Series/Vegas 2012}}'' a woman is murdered and her body dumped in the desert. The local sheriff is corrupt and the murder might be linked to the mob. Given this, the case would have probably been left unsolved except the woman was the governor's niece. The governor threatens to send in the National Guard if Las Vegas cannot get a grip on its rising crime. This gives the mayor the political clout to appoint Ralph Lamb as the new sheriff.
* In ''Series/{{Copper}}'' a thief breaks into a house and discovers the body of a dead child inside. He is GenreSavvy enough to know that this makes the crime high profile enough that the corrupt police will not be able to ignore it but not high profile enough for the police to bother with a proper investigation. Rather than becoming a FallGuy and hanging for a murder he did not commit, he signs up on the next ship to leave port and does not come back to New York City for more than a year.

** In one of the season finales of ''CSINewYork'' the team are drinking in a bar when [[spoiler: the place is shot up in a drive by]]. The first episode of the next series reveals that the attackers were just planning an elaborate extortion plot and didn't know there were police in the bar.
* On ''SonsOfAnarchy'' this is a recurring problem for the eponymous biker gang. Their various illegal operations are highly profitable but require them to keep a low profile and avoid undue attention from law enforcement. This can be easier said than done for a bunch of violent bikers with anger issues.

** When the Sons go to confront some neo-Nazis, they end up storming into a fundraising dinner for a right wing political party. They are recorded threatening dozens of women and children while holding highly illegal weapons. They were actually set up by the leader of the neo-Nazis who likes to provoke his enemies into doing stupid crimes and then having them arrested for it.
** When Tig is led to believe that a rival gang leader tried to kill Clay, he embraces RevengeBeforeReason and opens fire on the gang leader in public place in front of dozens of witnesses. He misses but he accidentally kills the daughter of the most powerful and ruthless drug dealer in Los Angeles.
* There is an episode of ''CHiPS'' where someone steals a car that had the owner's baby still in the car. Escalating their crime from joyriding to kidnapping.

* ''Games Magazine'' once ran a crime story where a cashier had only intended to steal seven bucks for a dinner date--only to find that she'd stolen several grand by accident. Making a desperate getaway she breaks into a funeral procession--[[spoiler:that turns out to be for a cop killed in the line of duty]]. Busted!

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'', a watchmaker steals a rare watch from his shop, setting off the alarm. In the confusion he causes a major traffic accident. He's sentanced to 20 years and plans revenge after discovering he has the ability to rewind time for a few seconds. [[spoiler: At the end, he realizes his plan killed his son, and this somehow supercharges his power, returning him to just before he took the watch. He leaves it there this time.]]

* In ''Film/OfficeSpace'', the characters create a software program which will take the rounded-off fractions of pennies from financial transactions from their employer and deposit it in a bank account they created- an idea they stole from ''Film/SupermanIII''. The money would never be missed by Initech, the company they work for. But when they check the account, due to a misplaced decimal point in the program, it has deposited over $300,000, which definitely would be missed.

* In ''JudgeDee'', an influential criminal tries to kill the judge by trapping him and his deputies under a huge bell, nearly suffocating them. When they manage to prove he was the culprit, he admits to it but tries to pass it off as a prank gone wrong, finally setting on the charge of assault, hoping his connections will let him go free... only for Dee to remind everyone that as a judge in office he represents the state and the will of the Emperor - and as such, assaulting him constitutes high treason, punishible by CruelAndUnusualDeath (getting pulled apart by four buffalos) .

* ''Games Magazine'' once ran a crime story where a cashier had only intended to steal seven bucks for a dinner date--only to find that she'd stolen several grand by accident. Making a desperate getaway she breaks into a funeral procession--[[spoiler:that turns out to be for a cop killed in the line of duty]]. Busted!

* In ''Film/OfficeSpace'', the characters create a software program which will take the rounded-off fractions of pennies from financial transactions from their employer and deposit it in a bank account they created- an idea they stole from Superman III. The money would never be missed by Initech, the company they work for. But when they check the account, due to a misplaced decimal point in the program, it has deposited over $300,000, which definitely would be missed.

* In ''Film/StealingRembrandt'', some low life thugs plans to steal some painting by a relatively unknown artist for some easy cash. Only to grab the only Rembrandt, in their country, by accident. Causing a nation-wide police search, deals with foreign mobsters and overall chaos for the petty thugs, as they try to act like the professional thieves, the pressed described them to be.

Sister trope to AccidentalMurder (which may or may not be the result of a more minor crime). StupidCrooks are especially prone to this trope. For other cases of things going so well they go badly see GoneHorriblyRight. Compare RobbingTheMobBank, MuggingTheMonster and BullyingADragon, where the crime is ''foiled'' because the crooks are in over their head and CollidingCriminalConspiracies when it's foiled because they're caught up in another crime.

!Examples;

[[folder: Multiple ]]

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

[[folder: Film ]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live Action Television ]]

[[folder: Print Media ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

[[folder: Real Life ]]

* ''ToyStory''. Woody is jealous of the attention Andy pays to Buzz Lightyear. He schemes to knock Buzz down behind a desk, which would inconvenience him but not hurt him. Instead, because of a series of accidents, Buzz is knocked out the room's window and the other toys want to lynch Woodie because they think he intended to knock Buzz out the window.

* In the EightySeventhPrecinct novel ''Lady, Lady, I Did It'', a shooter opens fire in a store and guns down for people. One of them happens to be Detective Bert Kling's fiancee, thereby guaranteeing that the crime has the attention of every cop in the city.

* In ''JudgeDee'', an influential criminal tries to kill the judge by trapping him and his deputies under a huge bell, nearly suffocating them. When they manage to prove he was the culprit, he admits to it but tries to pass it off as a prank gone wrong, finally setting on the charge of assault, hoping his connections will let him go free... only for Dee to remind everyone that as a judge in office he represents the state and the will of the Emperor - and as such, assaulting him constitutes high treason, punishible by CruelAndUnusualDeath (getting pulled apart by four buffalos)

* In the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "The Man Who Killed Batman", a petty criminal trying to score big, Sid the Squid, participates in a small-time robbery but (apparently) accidentally kills the Caped Crusader himself.

Sister trope to AccidentalMurder (which may or may not be the result of a more minor crime). StupidCriminals are especially prone to this trope. For other cases of things going so well they go badly see GoneHorriblyRight. Compare RobbingTheMobBank, MuggingTheMonster and BullyingADragon, where the crime is ''foiled'' because the crooks are in over their head and CollidingCriminalConspiracies when it's foiled because they're caught up in another crime.

* In the pilot of ''{{Series/Vegas2012}}'' a woman is murdered and her body dumped in the desert. The local sheriff is corrupt and the murder might be linked to the mob. Given this, the case would have probably been left unsolved except the woman was the governor's niece. The governor threatens to send in the National Guard if Las Vegas cannot get a grip on its rising crime. This gives the mayor the political clout to appoint Ralph Lamb as the new sheriff.

Crime doesn't ([[KarmaHoudini always]]) pay; you never know who your victim might be. Just because your victim didn't [[MuggingTheMonster turn out to be a superhero, alien assassin]] or a [[CollidingCriminalConspiracies fellow crook]] doesn't mean you've got away with it. You might find that things went a little bit too well and you've committed a crime that'll get you far more attention that you want; an AccidentallyHighProfileCrime. You might discover that the random woman you've just robbed is TheCape's wife, and now his HeroSecretService is on your tail, or that bag you're running away with might carry the MacGuffin or perhaps you tried to steal a car and ended up "kidnapping" the kid in the back seat. Either way, you're in over your head.

[[AC: Multiple]]

[[AC: Anime and Manga]]

[[AC: Film]]

[[AC: Literature]]

[[AC: Live Action Television]]

[[AC: Print Media]]

[[AC: Video Games]]

[[AC: Western Animation]]

[[AC: Real Life]]

[[AC: Dummy (to simplify folderisation)]]
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