Article published November 22, 2005
Authorities raid home of suspect in eBay scam
State sues Fostoria man over OSU-UM tickets
By STEVE MURPHY
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Authorities yesterday seized a computer and paperwork from the home of a Fostoria man who is accused of cheating more than 200 people out of money they paid him for Michigan-Ohio State football tickets, the Ohio Attorney General's Office said.
Agents of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation searched the Perrysburg Road apartment of Mark W. West, 53, executing a search warrant from Fostoria Municipal Court.
Michelle Gatchell, a spokesman for Attorney General Jim Petro, said the search yielded the computer plus "several documents we feel may assist our criminal investigation."
No criminal charges have been filed against Mr. West, but investigators want to interview him about allegations that he accepted thousands of dollars for tickets he didn't provide, Ms. Gatchell said. Mr. West's wife, Teresa, reported him missing last week to Fostoria police.
"We have not seen Mr. West yet," Ms. Gatchell said. "We are looking for him to talk to him. ... We have more than 200 complaints from people saying that they paid for OSU-Michigan game tickets and didn't receive them or a refund, so we needed to look into what happened."
Besides the raid at Mr. West's home, Mr. Petro's office sued him yesterday, alleging that he committed multiple violations of the Consumer Sales Practices Act.In a seven-page complaint filed in Wood County Common Pleas Court, the state alleged that Mr. West "accepted payments from consumers for the football tickets, failed to deliver the football tickets, and failed to make timely full refund payments to consumers."
The suit asks the court to order Mr. West to "reimburse all consumers found to have been damaged by the defendant's unfair, deceptive, and unconscionable acts and practices" and seeks civil penalties of $25,000 for each violation.
Football fans from Connecticut to California have reported buying tickets they never received for last weekend's game in Ann Arbor from Mr. West through the eBay online auction site.
"Buying from online auctions can be fast and satisfying unless scammers are on the other end taking money and not supplying goods," Mr. Petro said in a statement. "This problem seems to be growing. I want to put an end to this type of scam so people can feel safe doing business over the Internet."
Angry fans who missed out on attending Saturday's game applauded the state's decision to sue Mr. West.
"I think a civil suit is a great step," said Jon Mugar of Santa Monica, Calif. "I'm happy to hear that."
Mr. Mugar said he sent Mr. West $774 on Aug. 2 for a pair of tickets on the 50-yard-line at Michigan Stadium. He planned to meet his brother, who's from Boston, in Ann Arbor, but they canceled their plans because their tickets never arrived.
Instead, Mr. Mugar said he cheered the Buckeyes on to their come-from-behind win while watching the game on TV at home. "It was a great one," he said. "I wish I had been there, but what can you do?"
Lisa Polk of Farmington Hills, Mich., a Detroit suburb, paid Mr. West $414 July 24 for two tickets. She said she was upset at not getting the tickets, which she and a friend had planned to use.
"I'd just like to see him serve some time," she said. "That's a lot of money he got away with."
Contact Steve Murphy at:
smurphy@theblade.com
or 419-724-6078.
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