SEATTLE – A former Monroe man has been indicted on 50 counts of wire fraud, identity theft and other crimes for allegedly trying to take more than $1 million from victims, some on Internet auctions, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday.
Evangelos Dimitrios Soukas, 26, is now under arrest in Cyprus, and the U.S. government is seeking extradition to Seattle for prosecution. The crimes occurred between 1999 and 2004, prosecutors said.
The indictment alleges that Soukas posted false advertisements for merchandise on Internet auction Web sites knowing he did not have the items and had no intention to deliver them.
He used a variety of names and e-mail addresses when he posted the ads, the indictment said. He sometimes did deliver inexpensive items to buyers to obtain a favorable review on Web sites, it alleges.
He advertised expensive electronic equipment such as laptop computers, camcorders and cell phones. Buyers mailed checks or paid into a Web banking account but didn’t receive the merchandise, the indictment said.
One buyer was sent a box of rocks in plastic foam packing.
Soukas stole nearly $300,000 through Internet auction sales, the government said.
The indictment also charges Soukas with conspiracy to commit fraud by using other people’s identifications. He allegedly used at lest 15 victims’ names, Social Security numbers and birth dates to open bank accounts, apply for loans and lines of credit on the Internet, and to purchase merchandise.
The indictment charges him with having more than $18,000 worth of Dell computer items and $5,000 of Target merchandise delivered to his Monroe home.
Using two false identities, he obtained $50,000 by fraudulently obtaining home-equity lines of credit in his victims’ names, and he filed false income tax returns in victims’ names to get tax refunds, the government alleges.
In early 2000, Soukas fled to Greece to avoid arrest, the government said. He continued to use false identities.
In December 2003, Soukas attempted to transfer $285,000 from a victim’s investment account, but the move failed, the indictment said.
In addition, Soukas forged and cashed checks of victims and ran up charges on victims’ credit card accounts, the indictment said.
He was arrested Jan. 14 when he arrived at the airport in Cyprus after the FBI alerted Interpol that Soukas was wanted in the United States.
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