A Newark man faces a felony charge after an alleged online marketplace scam involving a fake gold exchange.
Messiah A. Bethea, 27, was taken into custody March 20 following an Ontario County Sheriff’s Office investigation.
Investigators said Bethea used a fake Facebook account to arrange a trade of gold for silver with a victim in Ontario County.
The exchange happened in a parking lot in the Town of Phelps, where authorities said Bethea provided fake gold in return for about $10,000 worth of silver.
Bethea was arrested at the Ontario County Jail, arraigned in CAP court, and held without bail.






