Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel used a private message on Facebook to serve a court judgment to a 23-year-old man convicted of violating the Michigan Consumer Protection Act, officials said Wednesday.

After Christopher Carr, formerly of Troy, fled Michigan and stopped responding to traditional channels for court communications, Nessel obtained a judge’s permission to serve Carr a judgment ordering him to pay $784,328.

Carr formerly ran Fan Authentics and Printrageous, both online businesses -- but failed to deliver to customers after taking their credit card payments.

“Thousands of consumers were robbed of their money by Christopher Carr’s deceitful online business practices,” Nessel said in a statement. “I want this action to send a clear message that even if you leave the state, we will pursue you. This office will go after those who uses the internet to exploit consumers.”

A Better Business Bureau page for Fan Authentics in Michigan, lists 33 complaints against the company in the last three years. A similar Better Business page for the company in Flordia lists 303 complaints about them in the last three years. The websites for both businesses -- fanauthentics.com and printrageous.com -- are no longer active.

Carr is no longer in Michigan -- but continues to use Facebook, according to the attorney general's office.

Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Clinton Canady II allowed Nessel to serve Carr the judgment through Facebook. It was sent via private message, said spokeswoman Kelly Rossman-McKinney.

"I’m willing to use all resources available to my office," Nessel wrote in a Facebook post of her own about the story.

I’m willing to use all resources available to my office. Posted by Dana Nessel on Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Carr’s businesses in Michigan will now be dissolved, and Carr is no longer allowed to sell goods or services to Michigan consumers online or through any other medium, per Judge Canady’s order.

Consumers can report suspicious activity on websites to the attorney general’s office by using the online from at mi.gov/agcomplaints.