A Wyoming man accused of running an unusual online scam involving gold and silver coins has chosen to take his case to trial rather than change his plea.
Seth Aaron Fisher, 21, of Casper, appeared in court this week and decided not to alter his plea. The case will now move forward to trial, where his defense team plans to challenge the investigation conducted by the Casper Police Department.
The case began after a complaint from a man in Raleigh, North Carolina, who said he paid $10,890 to purchase gold and silver coins from an online seller. Instead of receiving the valuable coins, the buyer said the package he received contained raisins, aquarium rocks and raw beans.
Fisher has been charged in connection with the alleged scheme, but he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Prosecutors are seeking to prevent the defense from suggesting at trial that someone else may be responsible for the scam. Assistant District Attorney Amanda Kirby filed a motion asking the judge to block arguments pointing to alternative suspects.
However, Public Defender Tim Cotton pushed back in a court filing, arguing that the financial trail in the case does not directly link the payments to Fisher.
According to investigators, the transactions took place in September and October 2024.
The alleged victim told police he obtained the return address used to ship the packages and also communicated with another person who claimed to have been similarly scammed by Fisher. Police noted that the second individual was known to be associated with Fisher.
Authorities later obtained a search warrant for Fisher’s suspended eBay account. Investigators reported that payments connected to the alleged sales were sent to two PayPal accounts, belonging to two different individuals—one described as a known associate of Fisher and the other a family member.
In court filings, Cotton argued that Detective Jonathan Schlager had not spoken with either of those individuals before writing his report or testifying during the preliminary hearing.
Cotton also noted that investigators only spoke with Fisher by phone, meaning police were unable to verify his identity during the conversation.
According to the detective’s report, Fisher initially denied selling items online. He later suggested that someone who had stolen his wallet may have also stolen his identity.
Fisher also reportedly told investigators that he had five-star reviews as an online seller and that satisfied customers would be willing to testify on his behalf if necessary.
During the investigation, police executed a search warrant at Fisher’s residence and reported finding bags of raisins and beans, items similar to those allegedly shipped to the buyer.
Fisher has since posted bond and appeared in court Tuesday before Judge Kerri Johnson for a scheduled change-of-plea hearing. After Fisher chose not to change his plea, the judge said the case would move forward and return to the trial schedule.
