SPOKANE, Wash. – Federal prosecutors in Spokane have charged two people with fraud and trafficking in stolen goods in connection with the theft of more than $150,000 worth of iPads.
Prosecutors allege that Jumbo Liang and Linda Yu hatched a plan to deceive their targets.
According to the indictment, Liang and You purchased the iPad from a Target store, removed it from the box, placed the counterfeit iPad inside the box, and resealed it.
He is then accused of returning the iPad to a Target store and receiving a refund in Target gift cards.
Prosecutors allege he repeated the scheme, using the gift cards to obtain more iPads and other items from Target.
According to the indictment, he returned approximately 140 iPads to Target stores between January and June and received $163,000 in refunds.
Federal prosecutors allege the incident occurred at Target stores in Yakima and Richland.
Both men are charged with wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit access device fraud, distribution of counterfeit goods and conspiracy to transport stolen goods.
They will face a federal judge in Spokane and Richland on Thursday.
“Fraud schemes involving stolen or counterfeit goods harm businesses and lead to higher prices for everyone. Our fraud prosecutors work closely with our law enforcement partners to exploit businesses and businesses to line their own pockets. We will continue to aggressively target scammers who seek to defraud individuals,” said U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref.
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