PORTAGE, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — A Portage man is in hot water for allegedly defrauding Amazon’s textbook rental program.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office – Western District of Michigan said 36-year-old Geoffrey Mark Hays Talsma was arrested for renting thousands of textbooks and selling them to local bookstores between 2016 and 2021.
According to authorities, Talsma created multiple Amazon accounts and used a variety of means to avoid detection.
Officials say Talsma also received additional credit by contending he never received the books he ordered.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says He may face up to 20 years for each mail and wire fraud offense, 10 years for transporting stolen property and 5 years for lying to federal authorities.
