eBay bid boosters charged

NEWS Three people have been charged with wire fraud over accusations that they falsely boosted the prices of glassware being sold on auction site eBay. The three are accused of working together to boost prices on items totalling $1.3m. The alleged offences stretch from September 1999 until January 2002. The three are John Danis, of German Valley, Illinois, his sister Diane Grismore and a Manhattan art dealer called David Weinstein, according to the San Jose Mercury News. After Danis posted pieces of Rene Lalique glass for auction on eBay the other two defendants are accused of pushing up the price by bidding for items, and therefore inflating the price, before selling them. The charges relate to more than 600 auction items which Danis sold using 'norsepottery' as his eBay ID. EBay investigated Danis and Grismore in early 2000 but they denied any wrongdoing and were allowed to keep their accounts open. US postal investigators looked at IP numbers to determine that false bids were being placed.