Texas Man Gets 5 Years In Prison For Internet Scam Of Colorado Victims

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A Texas man is going to prison for an internet scam using the identity of a deceased Mississippian to dupe victims in Colorado.

Attorney General Jim Hood says 52-year-old John Wiggins, of Round Rock, Texas, pleaded guilty Wednesday before Lafayette County Circuit Court Judge John Gregory to two counts of fraudulent use of identity involving a Craigslist scam.

Gregory sentenced Wiggins to five years on each count. The sentences will run at the same time. He was also ordered to pay restitution of $3,500 to the scam victims, who live in Colorado and Oklahoma.

Authorities say Wiggins orchestrated a scam involving the sale of a truck, using the identity of a deceased Mississippi resident as the seller. Wiggins obtained the money from the victims who were trying to buy the truck, which was actually nonexistent.