Community Corner
Prison Term Set in Online Fraud Scheme That Used Alpharetta Warehouse
Robert A. Hill, now of Swainsboro, ran an eBay store out of Roswell to sell more than $9 million in stolen goods across state lines.
A Georgia man was sentenced to serve more than seven years in federal prison for selling more than $9 million in stolen property from his eBay store that he operated out of Roswell for 10 years. Robert A. Hill, 51, shipped the goods across state lines to his customers from a warehouse in Alpharetta.
Hill had an eBay store called atlantis_discount_ warehouse_llc, where he sold the merchandise online to buyers from across the United States, according to a release from U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates.
To get merchandise, he worked with a group of identity thieves who used fraudulent credit cards opened in the names of numerous identity theft victims to buy expensive items, such as iPads, iPods, iPhones, computers, Wii game systems, cameras, golf clubs, and tools, from large retail stores.
Find out what's happening in Alpharetta-Miltonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
These co-conspirators used fake drivers’ licenses to apply for new credit cards and take over existing accounts at the stores. They targeted accounts at Best Buy, Sam’s Club, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart, Target, and Dick’s Sporting Goods.
Hill then bought the items from his co-conspirators for about 60 percent of their retail value. He sold it at just under retail value to buyers from around the United States. As part of the scheme, he shipped items to buyers in at least 14 otehr states.
Find out what's happening in Alpharetta-Miltonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Searches of his residence and storage facility uncovered more than $44,000 in cash and a large quantity of high-value electronic equipment in boxes ready for sale.
Hill, 51, now of Swainsboro, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Richard W. Story to serve seven years, three months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $740,446.58.
In a parallel civil action, Judge Amy Totenberg also ordered the forfeiture of over $44,000 in cash, two bank accounts with over $47,000, a 1999 Lexus RS 300, and thousands of dollars’ worth of electronics equipment and jewelry. Hill was convicted of these charges on Dec. 19, 2012, after pleading guilty.
