eBay Seller who scammed $300K sentenced to 6 years in the slammer

[mandy]

A former White Lake Township figurine dealer who ripped off more than $300,000 from eBay customers in an online scam was sentenced Monday to more than six years in prison — a hefty penalty that surprised both the prosecution and defense.

“I have to send a message to Americans that there will be swift and sure punishment for these types of crimes,” U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman told Stewart Richardson before sentencing him to consecutive 37-month prison sentences for mail and wire fraud. Friedman also ordered Richardson, 65, to pay $323,261 in restitution to the victims of his fraud.

The sentence was twice as harsh as the Probation Department had calculated...

full article: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic...1/60605013

[regic]

The judge reduced the sentence to 37 months:

Judge cuts sentence in half in eBay auction fraud

A Detroit federal judge has resentenced an Oakland County figurine dealer accused of pocketing more than 300-thousand dollars from fake Internet auctions...

Now the 65-year-old White Lake Township man will serve 37 months in prison for scamming nearly 200 people.

full article: http://www.woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5004109&nav=0Rce