Oklahoma man hacked government site to buy cars at auction for $1
Deals on vehicles and jewelry through a U.S. government auction website were a steal in more ways than one: An Oklahoma man pleaded guilty to hacking a website to buy the items for $1 each, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
Deals on vehicles and jewelry through a U.S. government auction website were a steal in more ways than one: An Oklahoma man pleaded guilty to hacking a website to buy the items for $1 each, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
Evan James Coker bought vehicles and jewelry in 2019 through web auctions held by the General Service Administration, officials said. The sales are intended to help get rid of surplus materials or items seized by authorities.
His bids were not unusual amounts, in the thousands of dollars, but when it came time to pay, Coker “breached the pay.gov website and falsified the true auction price to $1,” the U.S. attorney’s office said.
Coker was indicted on three counts of wire fraud in March 2023 and pleaded guilty to one count Wednesday, according to court records.
He defrauded the government out of more than $150,000 between Jan. 31 and March 21, 2019, the indictment alleges.
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