Facebook Marketplace Scam Suspect Extradited to Sierra County

SIERRA COUNTY — On February 27th, a suspect in a Facebook Marketplace fraud case was extradited from New York to Sierra County following an investigation by the Sierra County Sheriff’s Office. Donald Gibson allegedly defrauded a Sierra County resident out of $19,800 by posting a fake advertisement for a vehicle on the platform using a false name, email, phone number, and website.

According to Sheriff Mike Fisher, a listing was found by a Western Sierra County Resident for a newer model Chevy pickup truck purported to be in Las Vegas, Nevada. The listing led the victim to a website for a vehicle transportation company, to which the money for the truck and transportation to the victim’s residence was paid by wire transfer. After the transfer was made, the seller sent a confirmation invoice. When the vehicle did not arrive and the seller deleted all communication methods, the victim reported the transaction to the Sheriff’s Office on September 20th, 2024.

During the Sheriff’s investigation, the vehicle transportation company website was found to have several suspicious characteristics. Signs of alteration, such as photoshopping, were visible, and several of the links listed on the site were broken. Sheriff Fisher says he investigated a similar case around 15 years ago but hit a dead end when his leads pointed outside the country. This time, however, evidence pointed to within the states, and investigators were able to make an arrest.

After an extensive investigation, an arrest warrant was obtained for Donald Gibson on December 26th, 2024, for charges of theft by false pretenses and three counts of money laundering. On January 8th, the Sierra County Sheriff’s Office was notified that Gibson had been taken into custody in New York. He was extradited and booked into the Wayne Brown Correctional Facility in Nevada County on February 27th and is held on $140,000 bail while he awaits court proceedings. Though the investigation is nearing its conclusion, the Sheriff’s Office is still looking into whether a conspiracy took place involving multiple people.

The Sheriff’s Office urges residents to remain vigilant when making online purchases, particularly on social media platforms. To avoid similar scams, Facebook suggests asking to see valuable items in person before purchasing and being wary of people who push you to move quickly to complete a sale.