Computer scam ring faces court

A sixteen-man computer scam ring in New York faces a total of 140 charges, including enterprise corruption, for ripping off computer makers for over $2m.

The group, most of whom were immigrants from Pakistan, are alleged to have procured expensive equipment using phoney crudentials and "dummy companies". They then sold on the gear to legitimate retailers for knock-down prices, the Queens-based court said.

The two-year investigation began in March 2000 when an unnamed major corporation reported that it believed it was being defrauded for an unrelated incident.

Presiding district attorney Richard Brown said that the group had established false companies and managed to set up bank accounts and gain business credit while evading detection.