Buford man charged in Internet fraud case

GAINESVILLE - The Hall County Sheriff's Office reports the arrest of a Buford man accused of defrauding 28 eBay customers out of $4,200.

19-year-old Gregory Klimek allegedly accepted payments for items he advertised on the popular Internet site but never delivered.

"The Hall County Sheriff's Office opened the investigation after receiving a referral from the FBI's Internet Fraud Complaint Center," said Lt. Jeff Strickland, a spokesman for the sheriff's department.

Lt. Strickland said Klimek has been charged with 20 counts of Theft By Deception (misdemeanor), one coaunt of Theft By Deception (felony), and one count of Racketeering.

"The racketeering charge stems from the number of counts in the Theft By Deception," Strickland added.

Lt. Strickland says Klimek is free on $30,000 bond.