Former legislative candidate arraigned
A former candidate for the state Legislature was arraigned Monday in U.S. District Court in Spokane on three additional counts of wire fraud related to online sales of electronic equipment.
Travis Justin Sneed now faces 11 counts of wire fraud alleging he defrauded customers throughout the United States of more than $125,000.
The 21-year-old businessman, who once said he wanted to be a Republican candidate for the state House of Representatives from Spokane’s 3rd District, was released on a $25,000 bond after an appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cynthia Imbrogno.
The additional charges were filed against Sneed in a superseding indictment returned last week by a federal grand jury in Spokane.
“The investigation is continuing to see if there are more victims,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Aine Ahmed said after Monday’s brief hearing.
Sneed put on his sunglasses and walked out immediately after the proceeding.
“The truth will come out in court,” he told a reporter. “I have nothing else to say to you.”
The indictment alleges Sneed, working from Spokane and Cheney, operated three Internet sites, EXNC.com, E-Xpress-Notebooks.com and Exporters.com.
His Web sites offered merchandise for sale, including plasma televisions, computers and other electronic equipment and diet pills, Ahmed said.
After orders were placed online or by telephone, Sneed would send customers invoices. After receiving their payments, Sneed would fail to deliver the merchandise and “also would fail to reimburse the customers,” the indictment alleges.
FBI agents, who arrested Sneed on July 20, have identified victims in California, Oregon, Michigan, Indiana, Texas and New Hampshire, according to information contained in the indictment.
Individual losses ranged from $38,570 to $1,300, the indictment alleges.
It also accuses one of Sneed’s former employees, Reanna Howard, of two counts of wire fraud.
Howard, also known as Reanna Jo Maher, also is charged with concealment of a felony.
Sneed’s arrest came just before the filing period for legislative races.
Although he had publicly announced his intention to seek office and set up a Web site for that purpose, Sneed did not file.
He had formed an election committee, “The Committee to Elect Travis Sneed,” and opened a bank account in that name for campaign contributions and expenditures.
The indictment against Sneed seeks forfeiture of $7,466 in cash that was seized from that bank account by FBI agents. Court documents say most of those campaign funds were deposited by Sneed, not donors to his campaign.
The indictment also seeks forfeiture of a 1992 Mercedes that was seized by the FBI at the time of Sneed’s arrest.