Among the thousands of online shopping deals unveiled on Cyber Monday, one unique offering may be of special interest to Montana residents who followed the exploits of California con man Michael Hilton.

“Mother Teresa”" is an original oil painting by Hilton, a felon with multiple grand theft convictions who created the fictitious American Police Force security firm in a failed bid to win a contract to operate the vacant 464-bed detention facility in Hardin.

Just in time for the holiday shopping season, Hilton’s painting is available at eBay, the online auction site.

After an October hearing in a California court, Hilton, 55, of Santa Ana, turned over his painting, along with three art prints by two other artists, in an effort to satisfy an outstanding civil judgment for fraud totaling nearly $700,000.

Attorney Cris Armenta is auctioning the artworks on behalf of her client, Rick Earnhart, and asking for a minimum bid of $250 for Hilton’s portrait of Mother Teresa, the late Roman Catholic nun who worked for decades with the poor and sick in India’s slums.

Earnhart, a stucco contractor based in Menifee, Calif., loaned Hilton tens of thousands of dollars in what turned out to be a bogus real estate development deal.

He is hoping that public interest in Hilton’s quest to run the Hardin jail will result in heavy bidding for “Mother Teresa,” dated Dec. 7, 1997, and signed by the artist as “Michael Anthony.” Mother Teresa died Sept. 5, 1997.

Hilton, a native of Montenegro whose legal name is Michael Anthony Hilton, has gone by more than a dozen aliases,  including Miodrag Dokovich and Michael Miodrag.

Also up for auction are three prints formerly owned by Hilton. One is a framed poster of Catalina Island, a Southern California resort spot. It has a minimum bid of $25.

Two other prints by artist Rick Garcia depict a leopard and a tiger in surreal settings and vibrant, saturated colors. Each has a starting bid of $150.

“Art is a very peculiar thing,” Armenta said, adding that she could not predict what the pieces might fetch, although the best-case scenario is certain to be only a tiny fraction of what Hilton owes Earnhart.

“I think the upside to Rick has been the moral satisfaction of having a part in exposing who Michael Hilton really is,” she said.

“It’s nice if I get some money, but that would be a bonus. I was just out to stop the guy,” Earnhart said Monday, adding that he was angered to hear of Hilton’s scheme in Hardin.

“Here he was with just a Web site and a uniform, ripping people off for $100,000. I didn’t want him to go any farther,” he said.

Hilton testified in California that he had no assets and no income and that he was four months behind on his rent.

Attempts to reach Hilton for comment were not successful.

The auction of Hilton’s “Mother Teresa” and the other artworks ends Dec. 10.

Contact Ruffin Prevost at rprevost@billingsgazette.com or 307-527-7250.