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Sammy Linebaugh reporting Sandy City police arrested 48-year-old Mark Beaver this morning after a routine traffic stop revealed he was wanted on state and federal warrants.
Rewind six months ago to the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona. It was one of the hottest tickets in the country among college football fans.
Mark Beaver decided to capitalize on that demand through an alleged eBay scam he's accused of operating out of a shared office in a building on West Temple.
According to investigators, Beaver scammed 93 people out of more than $100,000, allegedly offering fans what seemed like a straight forward deal.
He had advertised the tickets on his eBay account, requiring buyers to pay half up front, with a promise to deliver the tickets and collect the other half in person, in Tempe, at this Chili's restaurant near the stadium.
Well, hundreds of fans showed up expecting tickets, but Mark Beaver never did.
State and federal law enforcement officers have been searching for him ever since.
Polly Samuels/ Assistant Attorney General of Utah: "(WE HAVE PURSUED HIM) VERY AGGRESSIVELY. WE'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR HIM SINCE FEBRUARY AND HAVE HAD A FEW LEADS, BUT HAVE BEEN KIND OF UNLUCKY, WHERE WE'VE SHOWN UP AND JUST MISSED HIM."
Troy Rasmussen/ Sandy City Police Dept.: "IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED TODAY ABOUT 10:00. I WAS ON PATROL IN AN EAST SANDY NEIGHBORHOOD AND I OBSERVED A RED VOLKSWAGON RUN A STOP SIGN."
The driver of that red Volkswagen was, in fact, Mark Beaver.
Sandy police officer Troy Rasmussen says he ran a check, discovered the state and federal warrants for his arrest, then took him into custody without incident.
Beaver now faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted on fraud and theft charges.
