An Oklahoma man has pleaded guilty to wire fraud after hacking a government auction website and purchasing vehicles and jewelry for $1.
According to court documents, between February 25 and March 6, 2019, Evan James Coker, 41, participated in a scheme to defraud the General Service Administration’s (“GSA”) auctions.
The GSA conducts online auctions through which it sells excess equipment, including surplus, seized, and forfeited assets, as well as equipment that government agencies no longer need.
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The auctions are conducted online through servers located in Eagan, Minnesota.
As part of his scheme, Coker bid in multiple auctions for vehicles and jewelry on the GSA Auctions website.
When Coker won a particular auction, he was directed to the pay.gov website to remit payment in the amount of his winning bid. Instead of remitting payment in the amount of his winning bid, Coker breached the pay.gov website and falsified the true auction price to $1.
In total, Coker bid on and won 19 auction items and fraudulently paid just $1 for each item.
As a result of his scheme, Coker obtained three vehicles, including a 2010 Ford Escape Hybrid, for which he bid $8,327; a Ford F550 pickup truck, for which he bid $9,000; and a Chevrolet C4500 Box Truck, for which he bid $22,700.
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Coker pleaded guilty on Wednesday in U.S. District Court to one count of wire fraud. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later time.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the General Services Administration Office of Inspector General and the FBI.
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