Feds: Google Fleeced a Few Cents at a Time

Federal prosecutors charged a California man with stealing $40,000 by opening scores of accounts on the new Google Checkout electronic payment system.

Michael Largent, 21, of Plumas Lake, Calif., was charged with one count of wire fraud in which he allegedly took advantage of the minuscule deposits Google makes in order to validate the bank accounts tied to the Checkout service.

The U.S. Attorney’s office in San Francisco said in a written statement Tuesday that the deposits made by Google range from a penny to $1; however Largent allegedly opened thousands of Checkout accounts for fictitious businesses between November 2007 and March 2008, collecting a few cents each time Google made its routine deposit.

Prosecutors said Largent never carried out any legitimate business transactions on Google Checkout after opening the accounts.

The charge was filed in San Jose, Calif., following an investigation by Google and the FBI.