Police escort one of the five accused Bulgarians to the Sofia court, which later denied them bail. Photo by Kameliya Atanasova (Sofia Photo Agency)
Five Bulgarians accused of defrauding more than USD 100,000 from US citizens via the Internet will stay under arrest, the Sofia City Court ruled on Monday, Darik News reported.
The five were arrested on Friday for allegedly defrauding US customers by offering non-existent goods and services.
They also stand accused of money laundering part of the funds obtained that way, as well as using fake identification to withdraw the rest.
The court ruled to refuse them bail, fearing the accused would fail to appear in court and could attempt to intimidate witnesses.