Coshocton County couple convicted of scamming $200,000

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Coshocton County couple convicted of scamming $200,000


By Tracy Turner

The Columbus Dispatch Monday December 19, 2011 12:38 PM

A Coshocton County couple was convicted of scamming consumers out of more than $200,000 in an Internet ticket scam over a four-year period, the Ohio Attorney General announced this morning.

The pair, Todd and Jessica Steinhaus, pleaded guilty to felony charges of running an online ticket scam using Craigslist that netted more than $200,000 and impacted hundreds of victims in 36 states and Canada, said Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine.

They were convicted last week in Coshocton County Common Pleas Court, he said. Todd Steinhaus was charged with engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, having weapons while under disability, and failing to register as a sex offender. He faces 17 years in prison, DeWine said.

Jessica Steinhaus was charged with engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and faces 11 years in prison, he said. Both will be sentenced in early 2012.

"These first-degree felony convictions should make every scammer out there think twice before preying on Ohio families,” DeWine said. “We are working to drive these scammers out of Ohio one by one."

The pair was tried as part of the attorney general's Economic Crimes Division, which was created in March. The division has investigated dozens of cases that have led to nine people being charged with crimes, he said.

Many consumers were scammed out of $250 after wiring money for tickets to various sporting events, including professional football, hockey, baseball and basketball games and for various concert events, including Lady Gaga, Britney Spears and Taylor Swift, DeWine said.

Consumers may be able to get some restitution from property and monies seized from the pair, but it’s not likely that all of the funds they lost in the scam, he said.

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AG DeWine announces convictions in $200,000, 36-state ticket scam case

By William Hershey | Monday, December 19, 2011, 11:01 AM

Attorney General Mike DeWine on Monday announced that an Ohio couple from rural Coshocton County has pleaded guilty in a Craigslist ticket scam that conned victims in 36 states and Canada and netted more than $200,000.

“We want scammers who rip off Ohioans to go to prison,” DeWine said at a press conference, accompanied by Coshocton County Prosecutor Jason W. Given and Patrolman Larry Zakrajsek from Brooklyn Heights near Cleveland.

Residents of Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland were among those victimized in the scam, according to DeWine’s office. The couple falsely claimed to be selling tickets to events including the World Series, the NBA finals, the Super Bowl and concerts involving entertainers such as Kenny Chesney, Usher and Katy Perry.

The two who pleaded guilty last Thursday in Coshocton County and the charges were:

Todd Steinhaus - engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, having weapons while under disability and failing to register as a sex offender - faces a maximum of 17 years in prison.

Jessica Steinhaus - engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity - faces maximum of 11 years in prison.

The couple posted thousands of Craigslist ads using fake names and email addresses, DeWine said. They told victims that they were selling tickets because of a death in the family and other bogus reasons, said DeWine. They are expected to be sentenced early next year, he said.

Their base of operation was in rural Coshocton County, about 70 miles northeast of Columbus.

He said the conviction was part of his effort to pursue criminal as well as civil penalties against scammers.

For more information on the case, click here.

I guess you cannot trust anyone anymore. Tell tell you their story and make you feel sorry for them and then you get taken.