An Oklahoma man used his computer skills to scam Uncle Sam, hacking into a government auction to reduce the value of cars and jewelry he had controlled to bid from several thousand dollars to one dollar, federal prosecutors said.
Evan James Coker, 41, pleaded guilty to wire fraud stemming from an online auction scheme organized through the General Services Administration to dispose of surplus, seized or forfeited assets held by the government, according to the U. S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota.
The auction is being held on online servers in Eagan, Minnesota, U. S. Attorney Andrew Luger said.
Between February 25 and March 6, 2019, Coker participated in several vehicle and jewelry auctions on the GSA website. Once his offers were accepted, Coker hacked the pay. gov site and replaced the dollar value of the pieces, the prosecutor said in a news release.
In total, Coker bid and won 19 pieces at auction, fraudulently paying $1 each, adding a 2010 Ford Escape Hybrid for which he bid $8,327; a Ford F550 pickup for which he submitted $9,000 and a Chevrolet C4500 pickup truck, for which Coker had agreed to pay $22,700.
Coker pleaded guilty Wednesday in U. S. District Court before Judge Michael Davis to one count of wire fraud, and his sentencing hearing is scheduled for a later date.
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