Four from Tucson Indicted for Internet Fraud

(Phoenix, Ariz. – Oct. 4, 2006) Attorney General Terry Goddard today announced the indictments of four Tucson residents on charges of conspiracy, fraud, theft and money laundering.

Aaron Edward Ecker, 26, and Carlos Pierre Wood, 29, were indicted by the Pima County Grand Jury on one count of conspiracy, eight counts of fraud and one count of money laundering. The indictment alleges that Ecker and Wood set up a series of eBay or Yahoo Auctions that offered electronic equipment such as Apple iPods, MP3 players and computers for sale. According to court documents, Ecker and Wood sold the equipment, cashed the checks or collected the PayPal payments but failed to deliver the items to buyers.

If convicted on all counts, Ecker and Wood face up to 23.25 years in prison. The indictments are a result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Tucson Police Department and the Attorney General’s Office.

In a separate case, Irene Hinderliter, 41, and her husband, Danny Hinderliter, 52, were indicted by the Pima County Grand Jury on one count of conspiracy, one count of fraud and one count of theft. The indictment alleges that the Hinderliters set up a business to make and sell computers on eBay, Yahoo Auctions and other online auction sites. The couple failed to deliver the computers after they were bought.

If convicted on all counts, the Hinderliters face up to 12.5 years in prison. These indictments are a result of an investigation by the Tucson Police Department and the Attorney General’s Office.

All four defendants will be arraigned in Pima County Superior Court on Oct. 5. Assistant Attorney General John Evans is prosecuting these cases.