Cyberscam Targets Ingram Micro

Two men accused of aiding a Romanian man charged with hacking into the online ordering system of the world's largest computer equipment distributor pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud.

Olufemi Tinubu of Atlanta and Jeremy Long of Richmond, Va., are among five men accused of helping Calin Mateias, a 24-year-old from Bucharest, with hacking into the online ordering system of Ingram Micro Inc.

Investigators say Mateias posed as a legitimate customer to place more than 2,000 orders totaling $10 million over four years.

He then allegedly had people in the United States who had been recruited in Internet chat rooms to ship the computers and equipment or the proceeds from their sale to Mateias in Romania.

Mateias, a computer hacker who uses the pseudonyms "Dr. Mengele" and "Metal," is charged with conspiracy and 13 counts of mail fraud. He faces a maximum 90 years in prison if convicted on all counts, but remains at large in Romania, said Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office.

Trial for Tinubu, 21, and Long, 28, is set for Oct. 13.

The remaining three men - Tarion Finley, 20, of Atlanta; Valeriu Crisovan, 27, of Hallandale, Fla.; and Warren Bailey, 21, of Anchorage, Alaska - are scheduled for arraignment on Aug. 30.

Santa Ana-based Ingram Micro is a wholesale computer and equipment company that reported worldwide sales of $22.6 billion last year.