RICHLAND, Wash. — A Washington state couple has been indicted on federal charges for a scheme involving counterfeit iPads.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington, the couple, Zhangbo Liang, 24, and Linda You, 20, began their scheme in January. They would buy authentic iPads from Target stores in eastern Washington, swap them for counterfeit ones, and reseal the boxes.
The attorney’s office reported that Liang and You would return the counterfeit iPads and receive refunds on Target gift cards. They allegedly used those gift cards to buy more items from Target, including additional iPads, which they would again replace with counterfeit goods for further returns.
The indictment claims that between January and June 2024, Liang and You returned at least 140 iPads to Target, fraudulently obtaining a total of at least $163,000.
On Sept. 19, a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Washington indicted them on ten counts, including fraud and trafficking in stolen and counterfeit items. Liang made his first court appearance in the Western District of Washington on Sept. 30, while You appeared in the Eastern District on Oct. 24.
“Fraudulent schemes that involve stolen and counterfeit items harm businesses and lead to increased prices for everyone. Our fraud prosecutors, working closely with our law enforcement partners, will continue to aggressively target fraudsters who attempt to scam businesses and individuals to line their own pockets,” said U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref.
