Key Figure on Mega eBay Fraud Gets 27 Years

Romanian national described as leader of scheme

A Romanian national, described by authorities as the leader of a major fraud scheme, was sentenced Wednesday to 27 years in federal prison, according to the Associated Press.

Adrian Florin Fechet, 39, received one of the longest sentences in memory for a white-collar offense, prosecutors said. The scheme swindled thousands of eBay customers out of an estimated $5 million. Interestingly, not taking responsibility for his part in the caper, which included identity theft, played a role in the harshness of Fechet's sentence.

More from the AP:

Prosecutors said many victims made unsuccessful bids for items on eBay and were then told in Internet messages from the "seller' that they had a second chance to buy. Such messages, however, did not come from eBay but from other members of the fraud ring based in Romania, according to evidence at trial.

Buyers eager to take advantage of their supposed second chance sent money by wire to members of the ring in the United States, who then passed much of it on to confederates in Romania. But the would-be buyers got nothing in return.

Fechet was one of 21 individuals charged in the case. Three are fugitives and all but two of the others have received sentences ranging from two to eight years.

Federal prosecutors said there were more than 2,000 victims of the scam.