Woman Sought For Alleged Internet Scam
Source: The Associated Press
By PAVAN DUGGAL
Date: December 22, 2003
Officer Claims He Bought Falsely Autographed Football
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Police were still searching for an Edmond woman Saturday, who allegedly violated the state's Computer Crimes Act.
Mindy Lynn Cummings, also known as Mindy Lynn Bakker, was charged Friday with using the Internet to execute a scheme intended to defraud and for the purpose of obtaining money by means of a false pretense and false representation, according to a news release from the Oklahoma County District Attorney's Office.
Cummings is accused of selling an OU white-panel logo football on the Internet to an Oklahoma City police officer for $198.50 earlier this month, prosecutors said.
In an affidavit, Officer James Chiles said he'd been searching on the eBay auction site for autographed memorabilia when he found a seller, listed as LEGACYATOKC, which offered several signed footballs for sale at prices lower than similar items elsewhere.
The seller listed the footballs as having been autographed by OU football coaches Bob Stoops, Mike Stoops, Cale Gundy and others, Chiles said in his affidavit.
Chiles used police department funds to buy one of the footballs from Cummings, the owner of LEGACYATOKC. She give him a white-paneled football with signatures -- including those of Gundy and Brent Venables -- on it, as well as a certificate of authenticity, the affidavit stated.
Chiles obtained example signatures from Venables, OU's defensive coordinator, and Gundy, the running backs coach, Dec. 12 and on Tuesday.
The men told Chiles it wasn't their handwriting on the football and a forensic document examiner determined the signatures were forgeries, the officer said.
Records show Cummings received more than $30,000 in sales since March. Most of the proceeds went to her personal account.
Detectives have not been able to determine the validity of Cummings' charity, or if proceeds were used for anything more than personal income.
Original article
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