Rockford fraud suspect dies before trial

Eric Byrnes, a 60-year-old Rockford-area man accused of running an Amazon merchandise scam that netted him tens of thousands of dollars, died in a single-vehicle crash last week. His death comes just days before he was scheduled to stand trial on two of his three pending felony cases in Kent County.

Michigan State Police confirmed to WOOD TV8 that Byrnes died following a crash on Friday morning northeast of St. Johns in Clinton County. Court records show Byrnes was set to begin trial in two felony cases on June 22.

"A Rockford-area man killed in a crash in mid-Michigan last week is the same man accused of running a scam that netted him tens of thousands of dollars," according to WOOD TV8 reporter Rachel Van Gilder.

The crash investigation

The Clinton County Sheriff's Office confirmed the driver's identity and said family had been notified. According to the sheriff's office, Byrnes' car went off the road and hit a tree. He was transported to University of Michigan Health Sparrow Clinton hospital, where he later died, the Lansing State Journal reported.

The crash occurred shortly after 10 a.m. on Friday, June 12, south on North Watson Road, north of East French Road, southwest of Elsie, according to Clinton County police.

The sheriff's office told WLNS, WOOD TV8's Lansing sister station, that the crash remains under investigation. A preliminary investigation indicated the crash was caused by a medical episode. Toxicology reports are pending.

A long history of fraud allegations

Byrnes faced multiple fraud accusations spanning decades. According to Michigan State Police, Byrnes had a history of fraud cases in several counties dating back to 1997.

The most recent scheme involved Amazon merchandise. MSP said that as far back as 2024, Byrnes told victims he was planning to buy pallets of merchandise from Amazon and then sell the items. He allegedly asked for money to buy the pallets and promised a cut of the profits.

MSP said Byrnes never bought any such pallets. Instead, investigators said he pocketed the victims' cash.

Byrnes turned himself in to police in April 2025. After he was released on bond, MSP said investigators received more complaints that Byrnes was still running the same scheme. Rockford police arrested him and charged him again in October 2025.

Pending court cases

Court records show Byrnes had three pending felony cases in Kent County at the time of his death. He was scheduled to stand trial in two of those cases starting June 22.

The outcome of the third case has not been reported. With Byrnes' death, the legal proceedings in all three cases are expected to be affected, though no official statement on that matter has been released by the Kent County Circuit Court.

WLNS reporter Madalyn Buursma contributed to the original WOOD TV8 report.