Scam Suspect Easy To Identify: Big, Ink-Stained

Sheriff’s detectives are trying to find a large, ink-stained man who has bilked local office supply companies out of hundreds of dollars worth of equipment and cash refunds.

The suspect was identified as Marvin Kristen Pursinger, 43, a transient, Spokane sheriff’s spokesman Cpl. Dave Reagan said.

The scam involves stores that carry Hewlett Packard printers. The model involved is sold with two cartridges and the suspect tells the businesses he bought two printers, neither of which had cartridges.

The suspect claims to be a JB Hunt trucking employee from out of state. He is persuasive enough that the victim businesses hand over cartridges.

The suspect then takes a cartridge to another office supply business. He smears ink on himself and his clothes and says the cartridge has exploded, ruining his clothes or the contents of his briefcase.

The business refunds the value of the cartridge.

Detectives said the suspect has hit the two Spokane Office Depot stores, one for $230, and has hit both Sears stores for $605 in cartridge refunds. They suspect there are other victims.

In Spokane, Pursinger always travels by taxi and has said he lives in Kansas. He stays in local motels and has used the aliases Robert Stevens and Steven Robertson.

He is 6 feet to 6 feet 2, 300 to 350 pounds, with short brown hair and a goatee. He usually wears old sweat clothes with holes in the seat of his sweat pants.

Anyone with information regarding Pursinger’s whereabouts is asked to call Crime Check at 456-2233.