A Lehigh Acres man was arrested this weekend on charges he scammed at least six potential buyers on eBay in 2004 and 2005.

Robert Emerson Rice, 49, 403 Parkside St., faces six counts of violating the Florida Communications Fraud Act, one count of scheme to defraud and one count of offense against computer users, deputies said.

Deputies said Jeremy Rosenberg of New York sent $846 to Rice in March 2005 in exchange for a Sony Notebook laptop computer, but he never got the item in the e-mail. Detectives with the economic crimes unit uncovered other potential victims as they continued to investigate.

Leon County detectives also were investigating Rice and issued an arrest warrant almost a year ago.

Victims of the auction Web site scam lived in New York, California, Missouri, Virginia and Colorado. Between 2004 and 2005, they bid on various laptop computers, a camcorder and a Herman Miller Aeron chair from Rice, paying a combined $3,358.59 to the suspect, according to arrest reports.

Posted: 07|3|06 at 5:45 pm. Filed under: US News.