Duo That Defrauded Apple Out of 5,000 iPhones With Repair Scheme Could Spend Up to 20 Years in Prison

Two Maryland residents that tried to defraud Apple out of 5,000 iPhones worth millions of dollars were today found guilty of mail fraud. Chinese nationals Haotian Sun and Pengfei Xue masterminded a scheme to get Apple to exchange genuine iPhones for counterfeit iPhones sent in for repair.

iPhone 15 General Feature Blue
Between May 2017 and September 2019, Sun and Xue received shipments of inauthentic iPhones from Hong Kong, using spoofed serial numbers and/or IMEI numbers to return them to Apple retail stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers.

More than 5,000 total iPhones were submitted to Apple during that two year period.

The two have been found guilty of mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud, and are facing a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Sentencing will take place on June 21, 2024.

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Top Rated Comments

tyranne201 Avatar
15 months ago
20 years is too much. That's a homicide punishment. Not actually fair. The judicial system in the United States is actually crazy. No wonder you guys have the highest incarceration in the world.
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GraXXoR Avatar
15 months ago
Up to 20 years? Damn, that's incredible... And to think that in the US, voluntary manslaughter incarceration is "for a period of no more than 15 years".

Someone could have died and they'd have got a lower maximum sentence. LOL

Ah, the US... gotta love their priorities...
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
The Mad Kiwi Avatar
15 months ago
They probably realise by now that it wasn't the great idea it seemed at the time.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
15 months ago

They should get nominated for the Darwin Awards.
Why, did they have something to do with Mac OS X? :p

https://apple.fandom.com/wiki/Darwin
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GraXXoR Avatar
15 months ago

If they were apprehended for the identical offense in China, they would likely face a life sentence.
Or let off depending on who their fathers are.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Arid Avatar
15 months ago
If they were apprehended for the identical offense in China, they would likely face a life sentence.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)