10 indicted in eBay fraud scheme

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - On Wednesday, December 12, US State Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama Kenyen Brown announced the indictments of 10 defendants in an elaborate eBay fraud case.

The indictments allege that the defendants were involved in operating a racketeer-influenced and corrupt organization, known as Spellen Enterprise.

The RICO count said that Spellen Enterprise fraudulently purchased loads of electronics, such as Playstation3s, iPods, and iPads, from retail stores using counterfeited credit cards and driver’s licenses.

The count also alleges the Enterprise sold these stolen electronics using several different means, including online auctioning website; EBay and the United States Post Office to deliver the goods.

"The sophistication and magnitude of the fraud scheme engaged in this is startling," said Brown. "While technological advances may present new avenues for thieves to sell their stolen goods, law enforcement will continue to use every tool at its disposal to bring law breakers to justice."

If convicted, all defendants face up to 20 years in prison. However, according to officials, none of the suspects are from south Alabama. 

Brown said eBay alerted local secret service agents about the scam.

The case came from an investigation by the US Secret Service who were assisted by the USPS, the Georgia Bureau of investigation, and the EBay pro-act team.

Brown says two out-of-state suspects are still at large and would not go into detail about how many victims were identified along the Gulf Coast.