Michael Davenport, former bassist for rock band The Ataris, has been indicted for scamming 100,000 people out of $27 million over the course of seven years.

He and his accomplice, Cynthia Rawlinson, have been charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, five counts of wire fraud, and one count of mail fraud, with possible jail sentences of up to 30 years, according to reports by Vice News and NPR.

Court documents said Davenport frauded consumers through his business American Standard, which he allegedly founded in 2009 in Santa Barbara, California.

NPR explained the scam as follows:

“The company placed ads on Craigslist that purported to show “pre-foreclosure” houses for sale at below-market prices. When individuals responding to the ads called American Standard, salespersons told they them they needed to pay a $199 fee to access the complete property information. … Prosecutors allege that after victims paid the $199 fee, they would learn the houses on American Standard’s list were either not for sale, or no homes existed at the addresses provided.”

Prosecutors said American Standard customer service reps would spend the majority of their time calming angry homeowners who wondered why their homes were listed on American Standard or explaining to consumers why the listing they wanted to purchase wasn’t actually for sale.

When confronted by consumers, American Standard said the homeowner was “too embarrassed” to admit their home was for sale due to financial difficulties.

American Standard has earned an “F” rating from the Better Business Bureau and racked up 235 consumer complaints over the past three years, according to a 2016 report by The Santa Barbara Independent. American Standard has operated under more than 12 business names. One of them — Anchor House Financial — had 141 complaints during the same time three-year period.

Davenport and Rawlinson were arraigned on January 17 in East Saint Louis, Illinois, and their plea is unknown.

Email Marian McPherson.

Show Comments Hide Comments
Sign up for Inman’s Morning Headlines
What you need to know to start your day with all the latest industry developments
By submitting your email address, you agree to receive marketing emails from Inman.
Success!
Thank you for subscribing to Morning Headlines.
Back to top
Only 3 days left to register for Inman Connect Las Vegas before prices go up! Don't miss the premier event for real estate pros.Register Now ×
Limited Time Offer: Get 1 year of Inman Select for $199SUBSCRIBE×
Log in
If you created your account with Google or Facebook
Don't have an account?
Forgot your password?
No Problem

Simply enter the email address you used to create your account and click "Reset Password". You will receive additional instructions via email.

Forgot your username? If so please contact customer support at (510) 658-9252

Password Reset Confirmation

Password Reset Instructions have been sent to

Subscribe to The Weekender
Get the week's leading headlines delivered straight to your inbox.
Top headlines from around the real estate industry. Breaking news as it happens.
15 stories covering tech, special reports, video and opinion.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
It looks like you’re already a Select Member!
To subscribe to exclusive newsletters, visit your email preferences in the account settings.
Up-to-the-minute news and interviews in your inbox, ticket discounts for Inman events and more
1-Step CheckoutPay with a credit card
By continuing, you agree to Inman’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

You will be charged . Your subscription will automatically renew for on . For more details on our payment terms and how to cancel, click here.

Interested in a group subscription?
Finish setting up your subscription
×