GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A Portage man has been arrested for allegedly defrauding Amazon’s textbook rental program.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office – Western District of Michigan says 36-year-old Geoffrey Mark Hays Talsma rented thousands of textbooks and sold them to local bookstores between 2016 and 2021.
We’re told 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.
Talsma 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, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
