Coraopolis woman pleads guilty to PayPal thefts

budnonymous · Top Poster

RE: EBAY LOVES, PROFITS FROM, AND SUPPORTS CRIME WORLDWIDE:

budnonymous · Top Poster

Ohio man pleads guilty to tax evasion, other charges

A man from Cincinnati, Ohio, recently pleaded guilty to multiple tax crimes, mail fraud and copyright infringement related to a counterfeit software scheme.

By Kristen MacBeth

June 7th, 2011

A man from Cincinnati, Ohio, recently pleaded guilty to multiple tax crimes, mail fraud and copyright infringement related to a counterfeit software scheme.

Brandon Davis, 31, faces 20 years in prison for mail fraud, three years for each tax crime and an additional five years for copyright infringement, according to a report. He made more than $1 million in the scheme, which was based on eBay.

He sold multiple fraudulent items on the Internet auction site, received payments and sent the illegal products through the United States Postal Service, according to Fox19. In addition, he did not report the earnings from the scheme on his federal income tax returns from 2008 and 2009.

In addition to his potential jail time, Davis agreed to pay an amount of restitution that is to be determined, as well as a tax lien of more than $80,000, the news source reported. He also complied with authorities and will get rid of the computer equipment used in the scheme, as well as more than $192,000 seized by the U.S. Postal Service and a 2006 Hummer.

...^ ...

Again, no word what sleazebay did with IT's share.

budnonymous · Top Poster

USDOJ: Foreign National Pleads Guilty for Role in International Money Laundering Scheme Involving $1.4 Million in Losses to Victims

WASHINGTON - A Romanian national pleaded guilty today in United States District Court in the District of Columbia for leading a money laundering network for a transnational criminal group based in Eastern Europe, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Departments Criminal Division. According to court documents, in less than one year, the criminal conspiracy netted approximately $1.4 million from United States victims.

Roman Teodor, 36, a resident of Romania, pleaded guilty before United States District Court Judge Paul L. Friedman to conspiracy to commit money laundering. Teodor voluntarily surrendered to United States authorities on April 10, 2011. At sentencing, scheduled for August 29, 2011, Teodor faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.

According to court documents, Teodor participated in a scheme that operated from July 2005 through November 2006, and involved the posting of fraudulent advertisements on eBay and other websites offering expensive vehicles and boats for sale that the conspirators did not possess. When the United States victims expressed interest in the merchandise, they were contacted directly by an email from a purported seller. According to court documents, the victims were then instructed to wire transfer payments through "eBay Secure Traders" - an entity which has no actual affiliation to eBay, but was used as a ruse to persuade the victims that they were sending money into a secure escrow account pending delivery and inspection of their purchases. Instead, the victims' funds were wired directly into bank accounts in Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland that were controlled by Teodor's co-conspirators.

Teodor was originally charged on January 9, 2008, along with five additional defendants: Georgi Vasilev Pletnyov, Ivaylo Vasilev Pletnyov, Nikolay Georgiev Minchev, Georgi Boychev Georgiev and Antoaneta Angelova Getova. On December 2, 2009, Ivaylo Vasilev Pletnyov and Nikolay Georgiev Minchev were sentenced to 48 months and 30 months in prison, respectively, for their roles in the money laundering conspiracy. On October 8, 2010, Georgi Boychev Georgiev was sentenced to 15 months in prison for his role in this scheme. On April 11, 2011, Georgi Vasilev Pletnyov pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. His sentencing is scheduled for August 22, 2011. The United States continues to work with foreign counterparts in Bulgaria regarding Antoaneta Angelova Getova.

This investigation was conducted by the FBI - Hungarian National Bureau of Investigation Organized Crime Task Force located in Budapest, Hungary (Budapest Task Force). The Budapest Task Force was established by the FBI in April 2000 to address the increasing threat of Eurasian organized crime groups to the United States.

The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Lisa Page of the Criminal Division's Organized Crime and Gang Section. The Criminal Division's Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance on this case.

sparklements · Noob

Wow, Coraopolis is right across the Ohio river from my hometown! And in case you're curious, its pronounced cor-ee-awpolis.

Small world.

budnonymous · Top Poster

They don't call it "Ebay The World's biggest online Crime Ring" for nothing. It radiates everywhere from IT's center of mass in San Jose.

budnonymous · Top Poster

Ahhhh! Who could forget those cute little Goth-kitties?

Aside from those KKK Snowman Christmas oraments, this was one of the most memorable ebaY auctions ever.

Video and photos at link

'Gothic' pierced kittens violate Pennsylvania's cruelty law, court rules

Appeals court upholds conviction of woman who planned to sell "gothic cats" on eBay.

By Peter Hall, OF THE MORNING CALL

3:05 p.m. EDT, June 14, 2011

A Pennsylvania appeals court has upheld the animal cruelty conviction of a woman who pierced kittens' ears, necks and tails to make them into "gothiccats" she planned to sell on eBay.

Although piercing is not explicitly outlawed, such treatment of animals clearly constitutes torture and infliction of intense pain prohibited by the state's animal cruelty law, the Superior Court found according to an opinion handed down Tuesday.

According to the opinion, Holly Crawford, a dog groomer from Sweet Valley, Luzerne County, advertised the kittens for sale on the Internet auction web site eBay for $100 with barbell earrings, "submission rings" through the scruff of their necks and tails that had been cut off and pierced at the stump.

After an investigator for an animal welfare group saw the kittens, the Pennsylvania Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals obtained a search warrant, seized the kittens in 2008 and took them to a veterinarian for examination. Crawford was charged and convicted by a jury of cruelty to animals.

budnonymous · Top Poster

eBay seller says she was taken for $795

Updated: June 15, 2011 2:18AM

Elgin

Online theft: An Ohio woman called Elgin police at 9 a.m. Monday to report someone from an Elgin address on the 2200 block of Tara Drive had bought an iPad2 from her on eBay using a PayPal account, according to reports. The woman learned the Elgin resident is considered an unauthorized buyer, so her own PayPal account currently is out more than $795.

budnonymous · Top Poster

Two men charged with stealing more than $1 million from Kent Office Depot warehouse

By STEVE HUNTER
Kent Reporter Courts, government reporter
Jun 14 2011, 4:10 PM

King County prosecutors have charged two men with seven counts of first-degree trafficking in stolen property for allegedly taking more than $1 million worth of items from the Office Depot warehouse in Kent.

Dion Lawrence Alexander, 36, of Tacoma, and Kenneth N. Ngugi, 30, of Federal Way, are accused of running a scheme where Alexander, the warehouse manager, were remove ink cartridges and other items and pass them to Ngugi waiting outside the facility in a car, according to charging papers filed June 10. Ngugi would then sell the items on eBay through PayPal accounts.

Alexander and Ngugi are scheduled to be arraigned on the charges June 23 at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.

An Office Depot loss prevention manager contacted Kent Police in March 2010 to report a loss of more than $1.2 million of toner and ink from the warehouse since September 2008. Office Depot security had not discovered how the items were taken until the company installed video surveillance cameras in early March 2010.

At about 1:30 a.m. on March 12, 2010, Alexander could be seen on camera removing 10 toner cartridges from the storage location and passing them out an overhead door to a person waiting in a car, according to charging papers. On four other dates, Alexander also is observed taking items and passing them to a man in the same vehicle.

Kent Police followed the vehicle after one of the incidents to a Federal Way apartment. That's when detectives met Ngugi, the driver of the car that would stop at the warehouse.

Ngugi told police that he had worked at Office Depot from 2004 to 2006 and that Alexander was his supervisor. He said sometime in 2006 he started to obtain merchandise from Alexander once or twice a week in the early morning hours.

Ngugi would call Alexander to order specific items and then come pick up the merchandise and pay Alexander in cash. He told police that earlier that day he had given Alexander 10 $100 bills.

Alexander told detectives that he would leave items outside the warehouse for another man to pick up. Alexander had 10 $100 bills in his possession when detectives interviewed him, the same day they had interviewed Ngugi.

Once Ngugi had the items, he would sell them over eBay. He had one to three primary customers with the money transferred through PayPal accounts.

The Federal Way man estimated he had stolen at least $500,000 worth of merchandise from Office Depot.

Detectives obtained a search warrant for the eBay and PayPal accounts owned by Ngugi and discovered transactions worth more than $1 million over about a seven-year period.

One company had purchased $613,027 in ink and toner from 2007 to 2010.

Office Depot reported that inventories of the losses of ink and toner from June 2007 to April 2010 totaled $2.1 million.

The men were arrested for investigation of theft in April 2010 and are now facing the charges. Kent Police turned over probable cause documents to prosecutors in December 2010.

budnonymous · Top Poster

Holland man gets 40-month prison term for fraud

Wednesday, June 15, 2011 3:47 pm | Updated: 9:25 pm, Wed Jun 15, 2011

PHILADELPHIA - A Holland man was sentenced Wednesday to 40 months in prison for his scheme to defraud 19 retail corporations, 12 financial institutions and the government out of a combined $700,000.

On Wednesday, U.S. Attorney spokeswoman Patricia Hartman said that Nathan Allen Kreigler, 44, and his co-defendants sold stolen merchandise, including laptop computers, printers, scanners, toner, televisions and industrial printing equipment on eBay.

They got the merchandise by providing false and fraudulent payment to victim corporations, and then sold the stolen goods throughout the country, she said.

All three defendants in the eBay scheme pleaded guilty Nov. 4, 2010. Ryan A. Pollack and Evan F. Appel, no ages or addresses given, have already been sentenced to 37 months and 33 months in prison, respectively, Hartman said.

Kriegler also was charged with theft of government property, wire fraud and bank fraud. The theft charges stem from Kriegler's passing of 30 worthless checks to the United States Postal Service in exchange for about $86,229 worth of postage stamps, which he later sold on eBay for $83,712, records show.

In addition to the prison term, Kriegler must pay $736,890.26 restitution and serve five years of supervised release.

budnonymous · Top Poster

Police Blotter:

snippet

Online scam

A resident in the 0 block of Salt River Court reported that her 21-year-old son bought items from eBay with a PayPal account and he received an empty box stuffed with XFINITY fliers, according to police.

budnonymous · Top Poster

Juneau fishing guide charged with selling wildlife parts

06/28/1112:58 pm

A 37-year-old Juneau fishing guide has been indicted by an Anchorage federal grand jury on charges of illegally trafficking in migratory bird and bear parts. Federal prosecutors say Michael Duby illegally sold parts on eBay.

A 37-year-old Juneau fishing guide has been indicted by an Anchorage federal grand jury on charges of illegally trafficking in migratory bird and bear parts.

Federal prosecutors say Michael Duby sold parts from 2007 through 2009 on eBay.

Prosecutors say Duby was warned by eBay that the sales may have violated the law.

Prosecutors say he also illegally killed a black bear in Juneau in an area closed to hunting, using bait without a permit and using a light.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Aunnie Steward says the law provides for a maximum total sentence of two years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for a conviction.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement and the Alaska State Troopers Wildlife Division conducted the investigation.

In April, Duby pleaded no contest to felony charges in Montana that he hunted illegally there.

Duby, his 62-year-old father, Michael W. Duby of Arizona, and a friend, 42-year-old Jeffrey C. Fritz of Washington, were charged with numerous counts of poaching after an investigation revealed that between 2004 and 2009 the men illegally killed numerous large game animals in Gallatin County. The elder Duby and Fritz have pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges in the case.

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Police: Worker stole from Amazon.com plant, sold items on eBay

The accused thief stole about $80,000 worth of merchandise and made $31,000, police said.

By Patrick Lester, OF THE MORNING CALL

4:34 p.m. EDT, June 28, 2011

A Bethlehem Township man stole about $80,000 worth of items from the Amazon.com plant in Upper Macungie where he worked and then sold them on eBay to make a profit, police said.

Jason R. Gross, 26, of 2681 Esquire Court was arraigned Tuesday on charges of theft and receiving stolen property before he was taken to Lehigh County Prison under $25,000 bail.

Gross was one of three Amazon.com workers charged this month with stealing from the company, according to Berks-Lehigh regional police.

Investigators say Gross, who worked since November 2010 at the plant at 705 Boulder Drive, stole from the company between February and May, keeping some of the items at his girlfriend's house.

Gross told police that he made $31,000 by selling the items on eBay. Police have recovered some of the stolen merchandise, including 80 computer processing units, 64 iPod nanos, one keyless remote control, 13 watches and 79 memory cards.

Last week, police charged two other Amazon.com workers with stealing about $6,000 worth of electronic devices.

Gerald R. Rossnagle, 24, of 324 N. 11^t^h St., Easton, and Alex B. Griffith, 18, of 716 Radcliffe St., Bethlehem, both were charged June 22 with theft and conspiracy.

Security staff at Amazon recovered some of the stolen items, including eight iPads, police said.

Rossnagle is free after posting $25,000 bail. Griffith remains in Lehigh County Prison under $25,000 bail, according to court records.

budnonymous · Top Poster

Police Report: Saline Man Defrauded Buying Vintage Dolls Online

The following arrest information was gleaned from Saline Police Department reports from June 28 to July 6. It does not indicate a conviction.

Man Wins eBay Auction, Never Sees Item

A Saline man might be out more than $1,000 after he won an eBay auction for a vintage doll, but then failed to ever see it, according to police reports.

On May 6, using a computer at the Saline District Library, the man bid $1,011 on eBay from a seller in New Rockaway, NY. After being told he had the highest bid, the seller told him Pay Pal was not accepted. So he sent two money orders to the address in New Rockaway. The seller said the item would be shipped, but it never was.

He called the New Rockaway bureau of the New York Police Department and was told to call authorities in Saline. After being contacted, Saline Police contacted New York authorities who said this was a civil matter between the Saline man and eBay. Saline Police were unable to reach the seller in New Rockaway.

budnonymous · Top Poster

Kleptomaniac admits company theft

The Tulsan pleads guilty to claims that he made $300,000 selling stolen AAON Inc. items on eBay.
By DAVID HARPER World Staff Writer
Published: 7/6/2011 2:01 AM
Last Modified: 7/6/2011 3:49 AM

A Tulsa man who is being treated for kleptomania pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal wire-fraud charge, admitting that he received more than $300,000 by selling on eBay items he stole from his then-employer.

Floyd Lee Cleghorn stated in his petition to plead guilty that he took part in the plot from 2005 until September 2009 while he worked at AAON Inc., a heating, air conditioning and ventilation manufacturing business in west Tulsa.

Cleghorn, 45, told the court that he unloaded trucks and verified inventory as it was arriving.

The May 9 charge to which he pleaded guilty alleged that he caused AAON to purchase various items that it did not need and then would steal them so he could sell them on eBay. Cleghorn admitted receiving about $346,000 through the theft and sale of tools and other equipment.

U.S. District Judge Gregory Frizzell is scheduled to sentence Cleghorn on Oct. 6.

The defendant, who said he is now unemployed, appears to face between 21 and 33 months in prison, but Assistant Federal Public Defender Stephen Greubel said he plans to ask the court for a lighter sentence based on Cleghorn's mental health.

Cleghorn's petition to plead guilty says he is under the care of five mental health professionals for conditions relating to kleptomania.

He received three years of probation in a 1990 embezzlement case in Tulsa County District Court, according to Oklahoma Department of Corrections records.

Although Cleghorn was the only person named in the May 9 charge, the document alleged that he shared the proceeds with unnamed others, and another recent federal case may point to a connection.

On June 23, Mitchell D. Brooks of Collinsville pleaded guilty to a wire-fraud charge that was filed May 31.

Brooks, 34, admitted that he engaged in a plot to defraud AAON by stealing silver brazing alloy and equipment owned by the company while he worked in an "incoming quality control position."

He stole the items so that others could fraudulently sell them on eBay, prosecutors alleged.

Brooks - who also is free on bond - is accused of obtaining at least $94,514 from the fraudulent sales, although the amount could be in dispute at Brooks' Oct. 26 sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge James Payne.

budnonymous · Top Poster

Romanian Sentenced in eBay, Craigslist, and AutoTrader.com Scam

Jun. 30 2011 - 10:40 am

According to federal prosecutors, Adrian Ghighina, 33, of Bucharest, Romania, legally entered the United States legally in late 2004. That may well be the last use of the term "legally," when it comes to describing Ghighina's stay on our shores. Once here, he acted as a "money mule" in a complex Internet fraud conspiracy, many of the co-conspirators were Romanian. In furtherance of this conspiracy, fraudulent online auctions were created on sites such as eBay, Craigslist and AutoTrader.com for expensive items such as cars, motorcycles and recreational vehicles.

Now You See It, Now You Don't

Victims who responded to these fraudulent listings were directed, in some cases by email or telephone, to transmit payment using Western Union and bank wire transfers to accounts controlled by Ghighina. To add insult to injury, the victims were paying for non-existent items and, of course, they would never receive what they had purchased.

From approximately September 2005 until his arrest in October 2009 in Miami, Ghighina moved from city to city, opening new accounts at various banks using false identification, thereby opening accounts and/or receiving funds in Illinois, the District of Columbia, Florida, New York, Arizona and elsewhere.

Indicted and Sentenced

Ghighina was indicted by a federal grand jury in the Northern District of Illinois in April 2008 on seven counts of wire fraud. In May 2010, Ghighina was separately indicted by a federal grand jury in Washington on charges of conspiracy, bank fraud and money laundering.

Ghighina faced a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the count of wire fraud from the Chicago indictment, and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud from the Washington indictment. Both counts also include up to three years of supervised release following any prison term.

Previously, Ghighina was convicted on related charges of wire and visa fraud in the Southern District of Florida and sentenced on those charges to 27 months in prison.

Ghighina pleaded guilty in February 2011 to one count each of wire fraud and conspiracy.

On June 29, 2011, Ghighina was sentenced in federal court in Chicago to 48 months in prison. The sentence resolves the two separate indictments against Ghighina in the Northern District of Illinois and in the District of Columbia.
The sentence runs concurrently with Ghighina's 27-month sentence in his Florida case, for which he has already served 21 months in prison.

Also see, Ebay Secure Traders (It Ain't eBay or secure) ("Street Sweeper," June 10, 2011)

budnonymous · Top Poster

27 years after burglary, reporter's watch ends up on eBay

(video at link)

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS -- Twenty-seven years after a thief broke into the home of veteran Channel 3 Reporter Joe Mosbrook, his vintage watch shows up for bid on eBay.

Mosbrook, who worked at WKYC from 1967-2002, received an unexpected email Tuesday morning, from a man in Brussels, Belgium.

The emailer stated, he'd found a watch for sale on eBay, with an inscription on the back that read, "To Joe, WDEL Staff, 3-7-67."

The Belgian man apparently Googled WDEL, a news talk-radio station in Wilmington, Delaware, and was able to find the broadcaster's email address online.

"I wore that watch for 17 years," Mosbrook said, looking at a dozen photos of the watch on the auction site.

In 1984, someone broke into the Mosbrook's Cleveland Heights home, stealing jewelry and electronics.

Mosbrook filed a police report and an insurance claim, but the property was never recovered.

He was surprised to find the watch up for sale online after all these years.

"I think the main thing is, where the heck has it been for the past 27 years?" he said.

The watch is a 1960s chronograph Tissot with a leather band.

The eBay seller of the watch is listed as being from New York. Several other vintage watches are for sale by the same user.

The winning bid: $526 -- after more than 30 offers.

Mosbrook says he wore the Tissot everyday to work, from the time he moved to Cleveland to join WKYC in 1967.

"It kept track of a lot of deadlines," Mosbrook said.

While the watch holds fond memories of his WDEL colleagues, he says he had mostly forgotten about the timepiece after the theft.

He doesn't think the current seller had anything to do with its original disappearance.

"It was a nice watch, but I think the one I have on was much more dependable," Mosbrook said, glancing at his wrist.

These days, the former reporter is still on the radio, hosting a Monday night Jazz show on WCPN. He's written several books and is enjoying life with his family.

He decided not to bid on his old timepiece; calling it just a fascinating story.

"That suddenly this thing appears out of nowhere. It shows the power of the Internet, I guess," Mosbrook said.

budnonymous · Top Poster

This one definitely deserves a screencapture.

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

I'm wondering just how creative their billing dept can possibly get?

If anything like this happens to you, be sure to file criminal complaint against ebay and paypal with your sherrif or state's attorney.

budnonymous · Top Poster

Kleptomaniac admits company theft

The Tulsan pleads guilty to claims that he made $300,000 selling stolen AAON Inc. items on eBay.

By DAVID HARPER World Staff Writer
Published: 7/6/2011 2:01 AM
Last Modified: 7/6/2011 3:49 AM

A Tulsa man who is being treated for kleptomania pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal wire-fraud charge, admitting that he received more than $300,000 by selling on eBay items he stole from his then-employer.

Floyd Lee Cleghorn stated in his petition to plead guilty that he took part in the plot from 2005 until September 2009 while he worked at AAON Inc., a heating, air conditioning and ventilation manufacturing business in west Tulsa.

Cleghorn, 45, told the court that he unloaded trucks and verified inventory as it was arriving.

The May 9 charge to which he pleaded guilty alleged that he caused AAON to purchase various items that it did not need and then would steal them so he could sell them on eBay. Cleghorn admitted receiving about $346,000 through the theft and sale of tools and other equipment.

U.S. District Judge Gregory Frizzell is scheduled to sentence Cleghorn on Oct. 6.

The defendant, who said he is now unemployed, appears to face between 21 and 33 months in prison, but Assistant Federal Public Defender Stephen Greubel said he plans to ask the court for a lighter sentence based on Cleghorn's mental health.

Cleghorn's petition to plead guilty says he is under the care of five mental health professionals for conditions relating to kleptomania.

He received three years of probation in a 1990 embezzlement case in Tulsa County District Court, according to Oklahoma Department of Corrections records.

Although Cleghorn was the only person named in the May 9 charge, the document alleged that he shared the proceeds with unnamed others, and another recent federal case may point to a connection.

On June 23, Mitchell D. Brooks of Collinsville pleaded guilty to a wire-fraud charge that was filed May 31.

Brooks, 34, admitted that he engaged in a plot to defraud AAON by stealing silver brazing alloy and equipment owned by the company while he worked in an "incoming quality control position."

He stole the items so that others could fraudulently sell them on eBay, prosecutors alleged.

Brooks - who also is free on bond - is accused of obtaining at least $94,514 from the fraudulent sales, although the amount could be in dispute at Brooks' Oct. 26 sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge James Payne.

budnonymous · Top Poster

90 people arrested for organized eBay fraud

14 July 2011

90 suspects belonging to three different cyber fraud gangs have been arrested following a coordinated action by the Romanian Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), the National Police, Intelligence Service and the General Directorate for Intelligence and Internal Security.

More than 1,000 eBay and Craigslist users were defrauded over a period of three years, and total losses are estimated at $20 million.

According to Softpedia, the Romanian authorities have had help from the FBI and Secret Service agents stationed in the capital, since the criminals used bank accounts in the U.S. to receive the money from the bogus sales.

Once the money was deposited, money mules would wire it to bank accounts in Romania.

Romania has long been know for cyber criminals that have a predilection for "auction fraud". Some American companies have threatened to cut ties with the country if it doesn't put a stop to them, and the Romanian government and law enforcement have obviously taken the ultimatum to heart.

budnonymous · Top Poster

Plea Hearing for Former Santa Fe County Sheriff Next Week

By Vic Vela / Journal Staff Writer on Thu, Jul 14, 2011

A plea hearing has been scheduled Wednesday for former Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano, who faces charges of embezzlement and fraud for selling county-owned property on eBay for his own profit.

Solano, who resigned in November, has admitted to selling items online that included bulletproof vests, holsters, flashlights and other Sheriff's Office property. A recent audit released by the State Auditor's Office found Solano sold more than $73,000 in county property.

Unhappy Birthday for Victim of Identity Theft

The following information was provided by the West Bloomfield Township Police Department. An arrest does not indicate a conviction.

Surpise computer birthday 'gift'

A West Bloomfield man thought that his friends and family were helping him celebrate his 50^th birthday by mailing him a new Apple Macbook Pro laptop computer from California on June 7. Instead he fell victim to identity theft, according to West Bloomfield Police Lt. Mike Turner.

After friends and family denied sending the man his new computer, he received a letter from e-commerce business website Paypal July 17 telling him that his account was delinquent by several thousand dollars for a new computer, Turner said.

Having never used PayPal, he reported the incident to police, claiming that the only way that someone could have accessed the information required to use PayPal would have been to hack his man's wireless internet access, which is not protected by a firewall. Police are investigating the incident, which Turner described as "somewhat common for the area."

budnonymous · Top Poster

Head of phishing ring gets 12 years in prison for scamming 38K victims

That Tien Truong Nguyen, age 34, was sentenced today for his role in designing websites to mock financial institutions and using those sites to scam over 38,000 victims. He worked with Romanian scammers to help drive people to the sites through email phishing. Nguyen sold the data containing the identities stolen from the fake sites to Ryan Price and Stefani Ruland. These two men setup lines of credit at GE Capital kiosks at Walmart in Northern California, typically between $1,000 to $2,000 per victim. These lines of credit were used to purchase goods at the store and resell the purchases. Nguyen, Price and Ruland were estimated to have fraudulently obtained just under $200,o00 in goods from Walmart.

When Nguyen was arrested by police in 2007, they found web templates to build fake versions of sites like eBay, Paypal and local banks such as Washington's Heritage Bank. He was also in possession of bank and credit card numbers from 38,500 victims, a Remington 870 Magnum Express shotgun with a supply of nearby ammunition as well as a collection of prepaid gift cards, fraudulent credit cards and a counterfeit California driver's license. Nguyen wasn't allowed to have a firearm due to previous convictions from three felonies that included writing fraudulent checks

After caught, Nguyen told police that phishing was simple to do and that methamphetamines helped him continue his drive to steal identities. He was charged with conspiracy, aggravated identity theft, possession of a firearm and access-device fraud. During sentencing, lawyers for Nguyen attempted to argue that he had cleaned up his life and stopped using meth. However, U.S. District Judge Morrison England, Jr. did not offer much liency to Nguyen and sentenced him to over 150 months of prison time. It's also possible that Nguyen will be ordered to pay restitution to a portion of the victims.

budnonymous · Top Poster

(emphasis mine)

Woodburn man accused of serial shoplifting

By Mike Benner and KGW.com StaffKGW-TV
updated 7/28/2011 2:46:22 PM ET

WOODBURN, Ore. - A Woodburn man made thousands of dollars a month selling items on eBay that he had shoplifted, according to federal agents.

Surveillance cameras at Safeway stores all across Oregon and Washington captured hundreds of images of John Patrick Weismiller shoplifting, according to agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

FBI agents said Weismiller also targeted Fred Meyer stores, as well as Best Buy and Target, between January and July of this year.

Neighbors said they had noticed a lot of police activity near Weismiller's home.

"There were two (FBI) parked in front of their house," said neighbor Rebecca Rios. "I saw they were coming out with files, boxes, loading them up in their cars."

Rios and others believe it proves the pitfalls of some online shopping sites.

"I don't even trust eBay," Rios said.

"We leave our garage cracked open," neighbor Cristal Ruiz added. "They could come in and take whatever they want when we're sleeping and sell it on eBay."

Federal agents said Weismiller pocketed approximately $43,000 from the illegal activity.

Weismiller pleaded not guilty in court Tuesday and his trial was scheduled to begin in September.

---------

Still no word on what ebay and paypal did with their share.

budnonymous · Top Poster

Hmmm. so it would seem that bombers and bombmaking supply sellers love ebay, and ebay loves them too.

A danger zone

WHITNEY HARRIS

05 Aug, 2011 04:00 AM

A CASTLEMAINE man accused of importing a cache of explosives via eBay put his family and his neighbours in extreme danger, a court has heard.

Phillip John Marsh, 35, yesterday made an application for bail in the Bendigo Magistrates Court.

He will find out today whether his bid for freedom has been successful.

The court was told that 88 items, the majority of them illegally purchased, had been delivered to Marsh's home over the past year at a cost of $17,000.

Among those items were switches for booby traps, anti-personnel and military equipment, detonators and detonator cords and substances to make gunpowder.

Victoria Police forensic scientist John Kelleher told the court that the majority of items were explosives in themselves and even the weaker of the bombs were "quite capable of taking a person's hand off". He said it could take just minutes to manufacture larger explosives, making the whole house "a danger zone".

The court was told Marsh lived in a busy residential street, just 200 metres from a secondary school and 500 metres from a kindergarten.

He has told police he is not a terrorist, meant no harm and that he bought the items to make fire crackers.

Detective Senior Constable Andrew Beans of the arson and explosives squad said police were still unsure of Marsh's intentions with the explosives.

However, Mr Kelleher said he was certain that two pipe bombs, found in Marsh's home on July 26 and which had to be disarmed by bomb response officers in the days after the raid, were definitely not firecrackers, or even fireworks.

"There is no way I would call them firecrackers, they were pipe bombs," he said

When asked to define what he meant when he said a a majority of the items seized were explosives, Mr Kelleher said: "When I say explosives I mean they will explode because they've got explosives in them."

Police opposed bail, saying Marsh would be an unacceptable risk and would put the community in danger.

Defence lawyer Mark Gumbleton said there was no evidence that Marsh had detonated any of the explosives and argued it would be unjust to keep Marsh in custody when the delay in going to trial would probably exceed his ultimate sentence.

He said Marsh would be an acceptable risk with bail conditions, including that he live at his parents' house, report to police daily and not use the internet.

Marsh, who before his arrest worked at mines at Heathcote, is charged with reckless conduct endangering life, reckless conduct endangering serious injury and four counts of possessing explosive substances.

He will return to court this morning.

budnonymous · Top Poster

Victims claim money stolen through PayPal accounts

By Jamie Self - jself@heraldonline.com

York County residents contacted authorities after someone allegedly attempted to withdrawal money from their bank accounts through PayPal, an online payment website, York County Sheriff's Office reports said.

A York woman said she became aware of the problem when her bank informed her she'd overdrawn her bank account. Multiple withdrawals in amounts in the range of $41 and $55 were allegedly made through her PayPal account she seldom uses.

A Fort Mill man filed a complaint after finding that PayPal had allegedly attempted to make a $100 withdrawal from his daughter's bank account. The daughter had recently received a letter from Western Union asking her to confirm personal information to set up an account.

While transaction-card related fraud cases comes in periodically, the York County Sheriff's Office hasn't seen any more recent cases specifically related to PayPal, said York County Sheriff's Lt. Mike Baker.

The cases will be referred to the jurisdictions where the transactions took place, Baker said.

budnonymous · Top Poster

Former Sheriff Will Have To Pay Thousands in Restitution to SF County

By Vic Vela / Journal Staff Writer on Fri, Aug 19, 2011

Former Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano will be required to pay back several thousands of dollars to the county for sheriff's property that he stole and eventually sold on eBay, a judge ruled Thursday.

But he will not have to pay for any part of the audit conducted after he resigned from office last year, an amount that could have totaled $64,000.

Solano's attorneys estimate the total restitution that Solano - who recently pleaded guilty to five counts of felony fraud after admitting that he embezzled Sheriff's Office items - will have to pay will be around $25,000. That's a far cry from the more than $120,000 that a special prosecutor wanted.

Thursday's restitution hearing before Chief State District Judge Stephen Pfeffer was meant to put a dollar figure on what Solano will be required to pay back at his coming sentencing hearing.

Also Thursday, Solano took the witness stand and tried to portray himself as a man of very few means at this point, unable to pay the high-dollar amount that the state was asking. But special prosecutor Matt Chandler took Solano to task, asking whether he used the ill-gotten funds for gambling - something Chandler has long suggested was behind Solano's motivation in embezzling the items.

In their first public exchange, Solano - an avowed poker fan who once blogged about his visit to a big poker tournament in Las Vegas - shot back at Chandler, saying that he does not have a gambling problem.

"Actually, I've gambled very little, and you've overblown that every chance you get," Solano told Chandler from the witness stand.

Working three jobs

Solano, 47, has admitted selling sheriff's property, such as armored vests, holsters, flashlights and cellphones, on eBay for his personal profit. He sold hundreds of county-owned items online going back to at least 2007, raking in more than $17,000, according to Chandler.

Solano said he sold the items because of his financial woes. In testimony Thursday, Solano said he has been working three jobs since he resigned as sheriff, and he is upside down on his mortgage.

The former sheriff said that he has been working weekends at a storage company and has also done handyman work and other trades.

Solano said he has saved up about $10,000 that he will pay in restitution as soon as he is ordered to do so.

But, on cross-examination, Chandler blasted Solano's actions that got him to this point and questioned how much of the ill-gotten money was spent on gambling.

Financial documents obtained by the Journal in January show that the former sheriff withdrew more than $3,000 from ATMs inside casinos in New Mexico and Nevada over a 22-month period, from a PayPal account that was tied to the eBay sales.

But Solano said Thursday that he often went to casinos around New Mexico and Nevada for sheriff's conferences and political events.

Solano also said that after he retired in November, he withdrew $30,000 from his retirement fund to pay for a home that was facing foreclosure, and to pay for his daughter's own legal problems.

"I tried to pay off as many legal bills as I could so that my wife could manage if I go to jail," he said.

But Chandler questioned Solano's priorities, saying he shouldn't have spent money like that when he knew he would have to repay taxpayers. Chandler often asked Solano how much he thinks he should pay back for his crimes, but Solano refused to answer, saying that would be up to the judge.

'Fair market value'

Another major issue that Chandler and Solano's attorneys, Brooke Gamble and Tom Clark, were about $50,000 apart on was how much Solano should repay for used items, specifically bulletproof vests, that he sold.

Chandler wanted "fair market value."

"One hundred and fourteen bulletproof vests were stolen, and they can't be replaced by the (new) Santa Fe County sheriff unless he buys new ones," Chandler said.

Also, in arguing that Solano pay the full cost of the audit of his former department, Chandler cited testimony from State Auditor's Office chief of staff Evan Blackstone, who said that the audit would have never taken place "but for Mr. Solano's actions."

But Gamble argued that her client should be asked to pay back what he is reasonably able to.

Solano's attorneys stipulated that Solano should repay the cost of the new vests that he sold, but it was unfair to ask him to pay the replacement costs for old, used vests.

"Mr. Solano owes the citizens of Santa Fe County the amount he received for those (used) vests when he sold them on the open market at that time in history," Gamble said.

As for the audit, Gamble said, "You can't charge somebody for the cost of the investigation against them if it's impossible for them to pay that."

Gamble and Clark argued that the audit went beyond Solano's actions, including recommendations on safeguards to prevent future theft, so he shouldn't have to pay the entire cost.

Pfeffer said he couldn't order a restitution amount for the audit because no evidence was presented to prove how much was spent on investigating Solano's actions.

"If I were to award any portion, that would be the court speculating on what the damage was," the judge said.

As for the actual items that Solano sold, Pfeffer said the burden is on the state to prove their fair market value, but he didn't see enough evidence of that. He said Solano would have to pay the same cost of the new items that the county paid for them. But for the used items, the judge said, "the only value we have here" is the amount he made on eBay.

Clark said the judge made the right ruling. "It was an appropriate ruling, based on the law and the value of the items that Mr. Solano took."

Chandler said afterward that he "respects the court's ruling, but it's our opinion that you can't dissect the cost of the audit."

Upon sentencing, in addition to the restitution, Solano could face anything from probation up to eight years in prison. Chandler will ask for the full amount of time behind bars, while it's expected that Solano's attorneys will argue for probation.

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There is more on this earlier in this thread. --Still no word on what sleazebay did with IT's share.

budnonymous · Top Poster

Palm Tran employee charged with selling stolen supplies online

Melissa Siladke sold more than $11,000 worth of office equipment, police said

By Wayne K. Roustan, Sun Sentinel

8:47 p.m. EDT, August 18, 2011

A Palm Tran employee was charged on Thursday with grand theft, fraud and official misconduct, according to Palm Beach County State Attorney Michael McAuliffe.

Melissa Siladke, 32, is accused of stealing computer equipment and office supplies from October 2008 through July 2011 and selling them on the eBay auction website, according to the investigative report.

She had worked at Palm Tran since Sept. 21, 2001, and was a senior secretary to the director, records showed.

The estimated loss to the county was more than 100 items valued at over $11,000, prosecutors said.

During questioning by investigators, Siladke admitted to methodically taking county property from her employer and selling it online, often bidding against herself from a separate account to drive up the price, the report stated.

Siladke claimed she bought back three ink toner cartridges to return to the office when the theft was discovered, investigators said.

She said her motive started as retaliation against a former boss and continued when her transfer request was refused, the report stated.

She is facing between 5 and 15 years in prison per charge.

budnonymous · Top Poster

Officer allegedly sold $193K in shoplifted goods

By Associated Press
Thursday, August 25, 2011

MONROE, La. A Monroe police officer helped a shoplifting female friend of his sell more than 14,000 stolen items on eBay for more than $190,000, a federal indictment alleged Thursday.

Raul X. Johnson, 43, of Monroe, was charged with seven counts of mail fraud and one of making a false statement to a federal agent. The friend, identified only as "SP," was not charged.

Johnson does not have a listed phone number.

KNOE-TV reports that at a news conference earlier Thursday, Police Chief Quentin D. Holmes Sr. said Johnson had worked for the department for at least 10 years, and had been suspended with pay. He also said he knew nothing more than was in the indictment.

An emailed news release about the indictment arrived after 5 p.m. Thursday, and police told the Associated Press that neither Holmes nor the department spokesman could be reached for comment until Friday morning.

The indictment alleges that from December 2004 until February 2009, Johnson and SP "listed approximately 14,334 items for sale on eBay with sales prices totaling $196,310.53." All were stolen from national retail chains with stores in the Monroe area, it said.

According to the indictment, Johnson lied to an FBI agent and a U.S. postal inspector by saying he never knew the eBay account was used to sell stolen goods; "he only received $50 once a week or every two weeks from SP" for letting her use his account at American Horizons Bank, now Iberia Bank; and the account never held more than $1,000 or so.

Conviction on the false statement charge could bring up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine; each mail fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Stephanie Finley.

budnonymous · Top Poster

Police: 3 in family committed scam

Underpaid for items, then listed them on eBay

By RYAN ROBINSON
Staff Writer

Three family members stole more than $25,000 worth of items from Kohl's department stores in three states, including Pennsylvania, police said.

Ismet Fetic, 52, Snezana Fetic, 49, and their daughter, Emina Fetic, 29, all of Drexel Hill, were arrested Tuesday, state police said.

An investigation was launched in April after information suggested the Fetics were stealing high-end KitchenAid mixers, Dyson vacuums and other products from Kohl's stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, police said in criminal complaints. The thefts occurred between March 18 and June 30, investigators said.

The Fetics would select a high-priced item and place a price tag from a lower-priced item on the box, often while hiding the lower-priced item in the bottom of their shopping cart, according to police.

After paying for the item at the reduced price, they would sell it on eBay for less than Kohl's original price, police said.

They used the eBay accounts for "miksomali11" and "renukitchenbath" to sell the items, police said in criminal complaints.

The Fetics stole from Kohl's stores in Lancaster, Delaware, Montgomery, Bucks, Chester, Lebanon and York counties in Pennsylvania, state police said.

Only one store in Lancaster County was targeted, according to criminal complaints. On April 17, Snezana Fetic purchased a $649.99 Dyson vacuum for $59.99 at the Kohl's store at Park City Center.

The Fetics are charged with dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, organized retail theft, retail theft, receiving stolen property and criminal use of a communication facility, police said.

Bail was set for each at $250,000, and they were committed to Delaware County Prison to await a preliminary hearing.

budnonymous · Top Poster

Updated: 9:16 AM Aug 27, 2011

Man Arrested After Selling Stolen Electronics Online

eBay account was traced back to "lsecrease04." Lawrence Secrease was employed at F4 Tech during the time computers were stolen.

Posted: 3:58 PM Aug 26, 2011
Reporter: LCSO Release

The Tallahassee man accused of stealing computers from his employer and selling them on eBay has another computer crime on his record, deputies say.

Lawrence Secrease was one of three FAMU students accused of hacking into FAMU's computer system back in 2007. He was sentenced to 22 months in federal prison for it.

F4 Tech Vice-President, Rick Davis, sent WCTV this statement:

"We at F4 Tech are saddened and disheartened that Lawrence choose to make such a poor decision after being given a second chance. We hope that he will learn from this mistake and make better choices in the future."

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Tallahassee, Florida - August 26, 2011 -

On August 22, 2011, Rick Davis of F4 Tech contacted the Leon County Sheriff's Office in reference to the theft of two handheld computers. Davis reported the computers stolen after discovering them missing from the business inventory. The stolen computers were later located for sale on eBay. Davis orchestrated the purchase of one of the stolen computers and was able to verify it was in fact one of two stolen from his inventory. The eBay account was then traced back to "lsecrease04." Lawrence Secrease was employed at F4 Tech during the time that the computers were stolen.

On August 25, 2011, Property Crimes detectives located Secrease, interviewed him and arrested him after he admitted to his involvement. Secrease was taken to the Leon County Jail.