A West Coast man was arraigned in Boston today on charges that he swindled thousands of dollars from Boston-area residents who separately used the web site Craigslist to buy phony tickets to last night’s Celtics-Lakers playoff game, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

EDWARD S. LOPEZ (D.O.B. 9/22/67) a.k.a. JASON MARTEL of Whittier, California, was held on a total of $3,000 cash bail following his arraignment on three counts of larceny over $250 by scheme. Lopez incurred the charges by allegedly selling three bogus tickets to a Back Bay woman, three more her sister, and four to a Stoneham man who was not related to the other victims.

Lopez was apprehended after the first victim notified Boston Police and used her sister and that woman’s boyfriend to buy three more tickets as detectives looked on. The Stoneham man’s case came to prosecutors’ attention this morning as the case was headed to arraignment in the Boston Municipal Court.

Assistant District Attorney Nicole Bonasera had recommended that Lopez be held on $20,000 cash bail and be ordered not to use or advertise on Craigslist while his case is active. Boston Municipal Court Judge Edward Redd did not impose that condition.

Prosecutors say the 32-year-old victim answered a Craigslist posting on Saturday that offered three tickets to ninth row seats at last night’s game. The victim met Lopez, who posted under the name “Jason,” at Charlie’s Saloon on Newbury Street and paid him $1,400 in cash. After comparing those tickets to legitimate tickets in her possession, however, she realized them to be counterfeit.

After notifying Boston Police of the incident, the victim enlisted her sister to replicate the transaction. That woman and her boyfriend posed as prospective buyers and agreed to pay Lopez, who again posed as “Jason,” $1,400 for three 11th row tickets at P.F. Chang’s on Dalton Street. After that meeting, in which he again allegedly provided bogus tickets, Boston Police detectives moved in and took him into custody.

A Stoneham man also allegedly bought four ninth row tickets from Lopez on Saturday at the Back Bay Hilton Hotel on Dalton Street, paying a total of $2100. When he arrived at the game, however, he was stopped at the turnstile and told his tickets were counterfeit. He later recognized the seller from TV news coverage. That case was reported to authorities this morning.

At the time of his arrest, Lopez allegedly had in his possession three more phony tickets and a California driver’s license in the name of Jason Martel. Lopez also allegedly tried to hide his real license under the back seat of the cruiser into which he was placed upon his arrest.

Lopez was ordered to return to court on July 12 with attorney Robert Proctor.