Scott McKinney, 20, a Valparaiso man accused of committing theft in the virtual marketplace of eBay, has a court date set in the real world.

McKinney, is scheduled to face two charges of fraud, a charge of theft and a charge of identity deception in a Dec. 8 trial. He faces up to 20 years if convicted of all crimes.

One fraud charge and the theft charge come from him not making good on merchandise he sold on eBay between Jan. 22 and Feb. 19, according to court records. www.wbbm780.com

Police found out about it after the roommate received a bill in April from PayPal’s collection agency for $3,749, the amount the Internet payment company had to refund to McKinney’s customers.

McKinney allegedly set up a PayPal account using his roommate’s identity information, but the money from 11 of 12 transactions was directed into McKinney’s own bank account.

Of those transactions, nine didn’t receive merchandise as of June 25.

Posted: 07|28|08 at 10:59 am. Filed under: US News.