December 9, 2014

Montgomery County Pair Charged in eBay Scam

PHILADELPHIA—Kareem Cameron, a/k/a “Shareef Ali,” 49, and Alecia Susan Brown, 38, both of Wyncote, PA, were charged by indictment, unsealed today, in an Internet scam involving an online auction site. The defendants, who were arrested today, are each charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, one count of mail fraud, and four counts of wire fraud, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger.

The indictment alleges that Cameron and Brown conspired to operate an Internet scam in which Cameron, through various eBay user names and aliases, offered luxury items, including BMWs and Rolex watches, for sale on the Internet auction site. It is further alleged that Cameron did not possess or did not intend to deliver the goods he offered for sale, or the goods were not in the condition he advertised. According to the indictment, Cameron instructed victim buyers to send a payment, via wire transfer, to his bank account or to the account of co-defendant Alecia Brown. After Cameron received payment, he either shipped goods that did not match the description or were inferior in quality to those he advertised for sale, or he shipped nothing at all. The indictment charges that the pair defrauded their victims of approximately $186,439.

If convicted of all charges, the defendants each face a maximum possible sentence of 125 years in prison, a fine of up to $1.75 million, three years of supervised release, and a $700 special assessment.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Karen M. Klotz.

An Indictment, Information or Criminal Complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.