MADISON, WIS. - Scott C. Blader, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that James Dudgeon, 60, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 24 months in federal prison for aggravated identity theft. Dudgeon pled guilty to this charge on Sept. 11, 2018.
From Feb. 19, 2009 through March 2009, Dudgeon listed and sold fictitious items on eBay.com’s online auction site, using an identification of another eBay user without permission from that eBay user. On March 9, 2009, Dudgeon advertised the sale of a concession trailer for sale to the highest bidder. When the auction was completed he instructed the winning bidder to wire-transfer the amount of the winning bid, over $17,000, into his bank account. After receipt of the funds, Dudgeon withdrew the majority of the funds from his bank account in cash, but never delivered a trailer to the winning eBay auction bidder. It was later learned that the trailer did not exist.
Dudgeon was charged in an indictment returned in 2013 and he was arrested on the charges in December 2017.
In addition to the two-year sentence, Judge Conley ordered that Dudgeon spend one year on supervised release and make restitution of $61,952.55, which included other losses caused by Dudgeon’s activity that had been taken into consideration by the court for his sentencing.
The charge against James Dudgeon was the result of an investigation conducted by the Madison Police Department and the Augusta County, Virginia, Sheriff’s Department. The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Anderson and Barbara Oswald.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
