Melvin Christmas obtained a G4 PowerBook from a student Jason Eric Smith, and paid for it using a counterfeit check from LaSalle bank
Police in Markham, Illinois charged a 38-year old man this afternoon on two counts of forgery
The arrest is the result of extraordinary perseverance and luck from a 21 year old New Orleans student, aided by the online Mac community.
Melvin Christmas obtained a G4 PowerBook from a student Jason Eric Smith, and paid for it using a counterfeit check from LaSalle bank.
"He has prior arrests for forgeries," the arresting office Sgt Jim Knapp told The Register today. Knapp charged Christmas at around 4pm ET today, and said it was likely that four more counts would be added over the coming weeks. Police discovered stolen IDs at Christmas' residence on Notthingham Avenue in Markham.
Returning from his Thanksgiving holiday, Eric Smith discovered that the buyer of a newly bought PowerBook had paid for the machine with a phoney check. Smith changed his mind over the machine, opting to buy an iBook and Airport base station instead. He took his appeal for information to the community boards, and was inundated with help.
"I wouldn't have got nearly as far as I did without their help," Smith told us today.
Collating cellphone subscriber information from other Mac users who had had similar experiences, Smith tracked down Christmas, and embarked a sting operation...
View: Full Story - Mac Fraud Bust
News source: The Register
