JORDAN EDWARD DIAS, 40, of Seattle, Washington, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 24 months in prison, three years of supervised release and $73,873 in restitution for Mail Fraud. DIAS defrauded more than 100 people by advertising and selling items on eBay which he never delivered. At sentencing U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez noted that DIAS “is good at what he does: defrauding other people.”

According to records in the case, between May of 2002, and January of 2006, DIAS offered a variety of goods, including computer and camera equipment, for sale on eBay. He established a number of accounts with both eBay and PayPal. DIAS used a variety of names and online identifications. DIAS changed internet service providers, email addresses, telephone, bank and credit card account numbers multiple times in an effort to avoid detection. DIAS also opened multiple bank accounts for receipt of victims’ funds. DIAS collected more than $94,000 from people who thought they were purchasing items DIAS offered for sale, but the customers never received the items they had purchased. DIAS would use debit cards mailed to him by PayPal, or wire transfers from PayPal accounts, to access the money he had fraudulently obtained.

Assistant United States Attorney Kathryn Warma said a prison sentence may deter other people like DIAS who “rely on the anonymity of the internet to elude law enforcement.”

The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS). The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kathryn Warma as part of the Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Unit (CHIP) of the United States Attorney’s Office.

For additional information please contact Emily Langlie, Public Affairs Officer for the United States Attorney’s Office, at (206) 553-4110.

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