LEWISTON — A local man was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Portland for his scheme to sell stolen tractors on eBay.

Matthew R. Theriault, 25, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge D. Brock Hornby to 14 months in prison followed by three years probation. He pleaded guilty in January to two federal charges stemming from the case: wire fraud and making false statements. He originally faced up to 25 years in prison and $500,000 in fines for the two offenses.

Theriault was originally indicted on 13 counts by a federal grand jury. The indictment followed an investigation that revealed a scheme devised and executed by Theriault to sell stolen tractors on eBay between October and December 2006.

Authorities contend that Theriault sold the tractors to unwitting buyers and even transported them personally out of Maine. Prosecutors say Theriault sold three stolen tractors on the Internet auction site.

Theriault pleaded guilty to the wire fraud charge in connection with an e-mail message sent in 2006 to one of the buyers from New York. Theriault knew the tractor was stolen, but doctored a bill of sale in order to create a false paper trail.

He also pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements to a government agency in connection with a 2007 interview with an FBI agent. At the time, Theriault claimed to have purchased the tractors from a man in Charlton, Mass.