CRANBERRY TWP — A number of Realtors in Cranberry Township were among the hundreds defrauded by a Louisiana man who is accused of running a fake advertising scheme that convinced hundreds of real estate agents to pay more than $2 million for business leads that never materialized.

Federal prosecutors in Pittsburgh indicted Rex Alan Harris, 40, of Covington on 11 counts of mail fraud. Harris was arrested Tuesday in Louisiana and released on $50,000 bail, according to court records.

Harris, who also goes by “Michael Harris,” “Rex Rogan,” and “Rex Alan,” has run a complex, nationwide scheme since 2008 which defrauded hundreds of Realtors who he promised television and Internet advertising that would help their home sales.

As part of the scheme, Harris would induce the agents to pay thousands of dollars for advertising spots on major television networks, but the ads never materialized, and prosecutors say Harris and others spent tens of thousands of dollars through PayPal, Footlocker and Nike.com. They also used some of the money — $2.1 million in all — to buy season tickets to New Orleans Saints football games.

According to a federal indictment that was unsealed Wednesday, the scheme netted checks and contracts from Realtors in Cranberry on Feb. 13, 2015. The victims, who also include agents in Pittsburgh, are not named in the indictment.

Prosecutors say the scheme was run using entities named “Our Family First Realty,” “Better Realty Deals,” “Amazing Realty Deals,” “The Top Agent/Monolith Media Group,” “American Real Estate Idols,” or “Agents by City.”

The FBI continues to investigate, and additional victims are asked to call the bureau’s hot line at 800-225-5324.