Man accused in multibillion scheme to defraud Facebook

NEW YORK -- A New York man has been charged in what authorities call a multibillion-dollar scheme to defraud Facebook Inc. and its chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg.

Paul Ceglia was arrested Friday at his Wellsville home.

He was scheduled to appear in federal court in Buffalo on Friday afternoon.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan say Ceglia fabricated and destroyed evidence for a lawsuit that falsely claimed he had been promised a 50 percent share in Facebook.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said Ceglia was seeking a "quick payday based on a blatant forgery."

Prosecutors say Zuckerberg agreed in 2003 to perform programming work for Ceglia and his fax business when he was a Harvard University student.

It was not immediately clear who will represent Ceglia in court.

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