PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Greed. That was the motive behind a man’s scheme to steal more than $180,000 from eBay users, according to federal prosecutors.
Erik William Johnson defrauded 91 eBay customers of more than $180,000 in payments for high-end digital cameras that he advertised for sale on the online store.
The scheme occurred over a 3-week period in June 2011, according to a federal sentencing memorandum. During that time Johnson took in just shy of $190,000 but only shipped $5,245 worth of cameras to customers.
eBay ended up paying out just under $104,000 to refund defrauded customers.
With his ill-gotten gains, prosecutors say Johnson bought a Hummer H2 sports utility vehicle, a VW Beetle convertible and a Breitling watch.
“[Johnson] was not drug-addicted or homeless,” federal prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memorandum. “His jobs paid well. Yet, he was driven by greed to steal money on eBay so that he could buy new cars and expensive jewelry.”
The government is asking for a 3 year prison sentence and $103,838 in restitution to eBay.
Filed under: Civic Affairs, Crime, Oregon
