Couple charged with selling fake items on eBay
|
The suspects, Kasey Dale Reed and his wife, Tiffany A. Reed, are both charged in a 10-count indictment claiming theft and concealing stolen goods. The charges involve five separate victims, all from out of state, four of whom were taken for more than $1,000 apiece.
“They were raking in the dough and never delivering anything,” said Sheriff’s Chief Investigator Herb Rowland. “And to beat it all, the computer on which they were doing these deals turned out to be stolen.”
According to Rowland, an investigation began after complaints were received here from some of the victims who had bought merchandise from the Reeds but never received the items. The purchases were made through eBay, which is an online auction site used by millions worldwide every year.
Specifically, the couple sold a computer and automobile through eBay, neither of which they owned. Instead, they posted pictures of the merchandise and enticed victims into making bids.
“They sold the computer several times,” Rowland said. “The problem was the computer or the car never existed. They simply put on pictures of the merchandise with no intentions of making delivery.”
The eBay auction site offers a feedback forum so bidders can check out a seller’s reputation before making a bid. Those who do business with the sellers can post positive, neutral or negative feedback. Rowland said the negative feedback on the couple was delayed because they stayed in contact with some of the victims, presenting excuses for the delays in delivery.
The incidents for which the couple are indicted occurred this past December and January. Given the fact local lawmen are new to investigating such crime, the investigation took about six months.
“Investigator Jim Hartman is our resident computer expert and he kept after it until he got them,” Rowland said.
Shortly after sealed indictments were rendered, the couple learned of their indictments and apparently tried to leave town. After finding out the pair had skipped town, Hartman discovered they had tickets on a Greyhouse bus for Huntsville, Ala. At that point, Hartman called ahead and had the bus stopped while in transit. He caught up to the pair near Pulaski where he took them into custody off the bus.
According to District Attorney General Dale Potter, this will mark the first case of Internet fraud to be prosecuted here.
“Before 9/11 (Sept. 11, 2001) this would have been handled by the feds since it involved interstate fraud. We have victims ranging from Virginia to Texas,” Potter said. “But because of the threat of terrorism and agents being used for that, it’s falling more and more to local jurisdictions in cases like this. This will be the first case of its type here.”
Potter noted the case is still open since more victims may still come forward to join in the charges.