HOUSTON -- A rapper has been accused of being involved in a wire fraud scam, KPRC Local 2 reported Thursday.

Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Johnson said William James Dennis, 42, who goes by the name Willie D, posed as an electronics salesman and used eBay to establish credibility with international buyers.

Dennis was selling Apple iPhones through a company known as Texas One Wireless, Johnson said.

The criminal complaint accused Dennis of directing interested buyers outside eBay to conduct the sales via e-mail.

Dennis required payment to be electronically transferred to his bank account, officials said. He sent the buyers tracking numbers for packages, but they were never shipped, the complaint claimed.

The complaint said that when buyers complained about not receiving their items, Dennis claimed he filed complaints with the shipping service and told the buyer that he could not give them a refund until he knew where the goods were.

Dennis would cease all communications with the buyers, officials said.

FBI agents accused Dennis of bilking at least eight foreign buyers out of more than $65,000.

Dennis was arrested Wednesday night at Bush Intercontinental Airport returning from an overseas trip. Prosecutors said they will ask a judge to Dennis behind bars because he is a flight risk.

If convicted, Dennis could face up to 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine plus up to five years of supervision upon release from prison. Restitution to the victims may also be ordered.

Dennis was lead member of the Houston group "Geto Boys." He has recorded several items that reached gold and/or platinum status. He is also the founder of Relentless Music Ventures.

"It just sort of boggles my mind. It's sort of heartbreaking because I always liked him personally," said John Nova Lomax with the Houston Press.

Lomax, a music critic, followed Dennis from his days as a pioneering rapper through recent ventures as a music promoter and businessman.

Lomax said Dennis was a significant influence in the growth of hip hop through the early '90s.

"He brought the southern accent to hip hop. He made it OK to rap in a way southerners spoke," Lomax said.

Dennis grew up in Houston's Fifth Ward. After living in Europe for a short time, he now resides in southwest Houston.