A former Tumwater woman is on the run after Thurston County prosecutors charged her Tuesday in one of the biggest fraud cases in county history.

Sri Lankan native Shaniha Somasundaran allegedly took hundreds of thousands of dollars from people who responded to her eBay offers to sell gold coins. But in many cases Somasundaran never delivered, said both a Thurston County prosecutor and Somasundaran’s attorney.

Somasundaran is charged with 58 counts of theft that prosecutors say began last December and continued through April.

Senior Assistant Prosecutor Joe Wheeler estimates there are at least 175 victims from at least 15 states. Wheeler believes the total loss is more than $1 million with some victims losing as much as $32,000.

Posted: 09|29|06 at 10:58 am. Filed under: US News.