Eric Suchomski accused of Net fraud - - GoFuckYourself.com

2tiny4u · 06-12-2005, 08:04 PM

* 26-year-old pleads innocent to theft charges
News-Gazette, The (Champaign-Urbana, IL)
March 4, 2005
Author: STEVE BAUER News-Gazette Staff Writer
Estimated printed pages: 4

URBANA - A Champaign man is accused of Internet fraud against people in four states.

Eric N. Suchomski, 26, who listed an address in the 3700 block of Summer Sage Court, pleaded innocent Thursday to five counts of felony theft.

Suchomski appeared in court Thursday with Champaign attorney Walter Ding and waived a preliminary hearing. Ding declined comment.

According to court records, Suchomski listed himself as privately employed in advertising.

He was arraigned Feb. 24 on five counts of felony theft of property having a value of more than $300 in each incident. His bond was set at $25,000, and Suchomski was released Tuesday after posting $2,500 in bail. Judge Thomas Difanis granted a request that Suchomski's bond be modified to allow him to travel to Nevada through March 10 to visit family.

Champaign police Detective Pat Kelly said Suchomski was arrested for taking money from people who believed they were successful bidders for items listed on Internet auctions.

Kelly had been contacted in December by police in Massachusetts, who reported that a woman there had complained that she had won an Internet auction for some concert tickets and sent money to Suchomski, who was the seller, but never received the tickets.

"The concert was over, and she still hadn't received any tickets," Kelly said. "She demanded her money back and he made promises, but never returned her money."

Through the investigation, Kelly uncovered complaints from five other people, all involving Internet bids on auctions for gold coins and gold bars.

The last two complaints came to Champaign police this week from Enchantment, Calif., and Ozark, Mo., he said.

In all the cases, the people sent in their money, but never received any gold. All the money was sent to Suchomski in Champaign, Kelly said. Police obtained a search warrant and recovered some evidence from Suchomski's home, the detective said.

Kelly warned people that this is a growing problem as more people try to buy items over the Internet and may not know with whom they are dealing.

"People have got to exercise consumer caution," Kelly said. "Use the safeguards available. Ask questions if people are going outside the norm."

Internet auction sites, like eBay and Overstock.com, generally accept PayPal or other secured payment intermediaries, Kelly said.

According to the detective, Suchomski posted as a condition of his auctions in these cases that he would not accept these secured services for payment. Rather, he required payment through certified check or money order, Kelly said.

Court records show Suchomski has been involved in other Internet legal tangles.

In 1997, when he was 18, Suchomski pleaded guilty to theft and admitted he participated in a scheme with five other teen-agers to steal items and sell them on the Internet.

As part of the plea agreement in that case, Suchomski was sentenced to two years of court supervision and ordered to perform 100 hours of public service work. Prosecutors also agreed to dismiss other charges in that case.

Prosecutors said at the time that the teen-agers sold stolen property to people in Canada, New Jersey, Florida and Arkansas.

You can reach News-Gazette staff writer Steve Bauer at (217) 351-5318 or via e-mail at [email protected].
Caption:
color headshot photo

SUCHOMSKI
Edition: 1 star - 2 star
Page: B-1 B-2

Copyright, 2005, The News-Gazette (Champaign-Urbana, IL)
Record Number: 10A37EA81B31E85A

06-12-2005, 08:04 PM	#1
2tiny4u Registered User Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 8	Eric Suchomski accused of Net fraud - * 26-year-old pleads innocent to theft charges News-Gazette, The (Champaign-Urbana, IL) March 4, 2005 Author: STEVE BAUER News-Gazette Staff Writer Estimated printed pages: 4 URBANA - A Champaign man is accused of Internet fraud against people in four states. Eric N. Suchomski, 26, who listed an address in the 3700 block of Summer Sage Court, pleaded innocent Thursday to five counts of felony theft. Suchomski appeared in court Thursday with Champaign attorney Walter Ding and waived a preliminary hearing. Ding declined comment. According to court records, Suchomski listed himself as privately employed in advertising. He was arraigned Feb. 24 on five counts of felony theft of property having a value of more than $300 in each incident. His bond was set at $25,000, and Suchomski was released Tuesday after posting $2,500 in bail. Judge Thomas Difanis granted a request that Suchomski's bond be modified to allow him to travel to Nevada through March 10 to visit family. Champaign police Detective Pat Kelly said Suchomski was arrested for taking money from people who believed they were successful bidders for items listed on Internet auctions. Kelly had been contacted in December by police in Massachusetts, who reported that a woman there had complained that she had won an Internet auction for some concert tickets and sent money to Suchomski, who was the seller, but never received the tickets. "The concert was over, and she still hadn't received any tickets," Kelly said. "She demanded her money back and he made promises, but never returned her money." Through the investigation, Kelly uncovered complaints from five other people, all involving Internet bids on auctions for gold coins and gold bars. The last two complaints came to Champaign police this week from Enchantment, Calif., and Ozark, Mo., he said. In all the cases, the people sent in their money, but never received any gold. All the money was sent to Suchomski in Champaign, Kelly said. Police obtained a search warrant and recovered some evidence from Suchomski's home, the detective said. Kelly warned people that this is a growing problem as more people try to buy items over the Internet and may not know with whom they are dealing. "People have got to exercise consumer caution," Kelly said. "Use the safeguards available. Ask questions if people are going outside the norm." Internet auction sites, like eBay and Overstock.com, generally accept PayPal or other secured payment intermediaries, Kelly said. According to the detective, Suchomski posted as a condition of his auctions in these cases that he would not accept these secured services for payment. Rather, he required payment through certified check or money order, Kelly said. Court records show Suchomski has been involved in other Internet legal tangles. In 1997, when he was 18, Suchomski pleaded guilty to theft and admitted he participated in a scheme with five other teen-agers to steal items and sell them on the Internet. As part of the plea agreement in that case, Suchomski was sentenced to two years of court supervision and ordered to perform 100 hours of public service work. Prosecutors also agreed to dismiss other charges in that case. Prosecutors said at the time that the teen-agers sold stolen property to people in Canada, New Jersey, Florida and Arkansas. You can reach News-Gazette staff writer Steve Bauer at (217) 351-5318 or via e-mail at [email protected]. Caption: color headshot photo SUCHOMSKI Edition: 1 star - 2 star Page: B-1 B-2 Copyright, 2005, The News-Gazette (Champaign-Urbana, IL) Record Number: 10A37EA81B31E85A