A Columbus woman has been indicted on multiple felony charges in connection with an alleged bid-rigging scheme that prosecutors say artificially inflated prices in online auctions.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced that a Franklin County grand jury returned an indictment against 36-year-old Lindsay Klein, also known as Lindsay Leslie. She faces one count each of price fixing, bid rigging and telecommunications fraud, along with two counts of identity fraud.
“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.”
According to the indictment, between July 2022 and March 2023, Klein allegedly used fake identities to place bids on approximately 760 auction items through her business, Priceless Discoveries. The practice, commonly known as “shill bidding,” allegedly created the false appearance of competitive demand and increased final auction prices by roughly $9,000 during that period.
Prosecutors say Klein formed Diva Shop Limited in November 2020 and later began operating as Priceless Discoveries. The business sold merchandise through Capital City Online Auctions. The platform reported suspicious bidding activity to the Ohio Department of Agriculture, which regulates auctions. A joint investigation between the department and the Attorney General’s Office followed.
The indictment alleges Klein used a bidder profile created with the stolen personal information of a 55-year-old Columbus man to place hundreds of bids without his knowledge. His account frequently appeared as the second-highest bidder. Authorities also allege that a bidder profile belonging to a 69-year-old Reynoldsburg woman was accessed and used without permission.
Additionally, investigators claim a third bidder account in the name of Rhonda Kelley, identified as Klein’s mother, was used to place hundreds of bids, at times creating the appearance of competition among accounts allegedly controlled from the same location.
Prosecutors allege the conduct violates Ohio’s Valentine Act, the state’s antitrust law prohibiting price-fixing and other conspiracies that restrain trade or harm consumers. The case is being prosecuted by the Antitrust Section of the Attorney General’s Office.
Indictments are criminal allegations, and Klein is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. Her arraignment is scheduled for March 6.
