An area locksmith technician is facing federal fraud charges stemming from alleged overcharging by Clearwater, Fla.-based Dependable Locks, which manages a network of at least 100 locksmiths operating in cities nationwide, including St. Louis.

The allegations, which were reported yesterday in the Crime Beat blog on stltoday.com, might sound familiar to faithful readers of this blog.

In April, Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster sued Dependable Locks and accused the company of deceiving and overcharging consumers and violating Missouri law by fraudulent advertising itself in telephone directories as at least 16 different companies. Koster alleged that the company charged customers twice, and three times, their quoted prices for unlocking cars.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office charged Eliyahu Barhanun, 29, of Creve Coeur, with a felony violation of structuring financial transactions to avoid federal reporting requirements and  conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. Also charged are David Peer, 31, and Moshe Aharoni, 28, both of the Clearwater. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines

In addition to those federal charges, Missouri prosecutors charged Yosef Amitay, of Overland Park, Kan., with two counts of unlawful merchandising practices. The charge carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison.

According to an affidavit by Agent John Jackman of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Dependable Locks maintains an around-the-clock staff of more than 20 telephone dispatchers who receive calls forwarded from hundreds  of phone numbers listed nationwide for emergency locksmith services. The dispatchers dispatch local locksmith technicians to respond. The affidavit said many of the company’s locksmith technicians are “non-immigant aliens” from Israel working illegally.

Consumers complain that the technicians dispatched by Dependable Locks often charge more than their quoted price.

The federal complaint alleges that the company’s dispatchers were instructed by managers to quote a price of $54 for a car lockout, while the responding technician was instructed by managers to charge up to $179 once services had been provided. Authorities said that , when consumers complained about the price discrepancies, the technicians accused them of trying to steal locksmith services, threatened to call the police and withheld the customers’ keys or driver’s license until they paid.

The market rate for a standard car lockout is typically about $60, authorities said.

In a prepared statement released today, Koster said shady businesses should pay attention to this case. The Dependable Locks arrests “not only target some of the key players but also serve as a notice that we will investigate and prosecute this type of criminal behavior,” he said.

Authorities say that consumers who believe they’ve been ripped off by Dependable Locks should call a hotline set up by US Postal Inspectors, 314-539-9441.