Ohio Woman Indicted in Online Auction Bid-Rigging Scheme
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A Franklin County grand jury has indicted a Columbus woman on multiple felony charges related to an alleged scheme to artificially inflate prices in online auctions, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced Tuesday, February 24, 2026.
“Going once, going twice – going to court!” Yost said in a statement. “When sellers plant fake bidders to drive up prices, that’s not smart business. It’s criminal behavior.”
Details of the Indictment
Lindsay Klein, too known as Lindsay Leslie, 36, faces one count each of price fixing, bid rigging, and telecommunications fraud, along with two counts of identity fraud. The indictment alleges that between July 2022 and March 2023, Klein, operating through her business Priceless Discoveries, used fraudulent bidder profiles to place bids on approximately 760 auction items.
This practice, known as “shill bidding,” allegedly created a false impression of competitive demand, increasing final auction prices by roughly $9,000 during that period.
Investigation and Discovery
The investigation began after Capital City Online Auctions, the platform used by Priceless Discoveries, reported suspicious bidding activity to the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA), which regulates auctions within the state. A joint investigation between the ODA and the Attorney General’s Office followed.
Prosecutors allege that Klein used a bidder profile created with the stolen personal information of a 55-year-old Columbus man, who was unaware his information had been used and had never participated in the auctions. His account frequently appeared as the second-highest bidder.
a profile associated with a 69-year-old Reynoldsburg woman was accessed and used without her permission. A third profile, in the name of Rhonda Kelley, Klein’s mother, was allegedly used to place hundreds of bids, sometimes creating the appearance of competition among accounts controlled from the same location.
Legal Ramifications
The alleged conduct violates Ohio’s Valentine Act, the state’s antitrust law prohibiting price-fixing and conspiracies that restrain trade or harm consumers. The case is being prosecuted by the Antitrust Section of Yost’s office.
Indictments represent criminal allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Klein’s arraignment is scheduled for March 6.