In an official press release, the FBI announces the conviction of several members of the same family for trafficking in counterfeit products. For years, this sibling has sold fake iPhones and Samsung smartphones on eBay and Amazon, for a loss of several million dollars.
$51.9 million. This is the astronomical amount of the fine that will have to be paid by the 5 members of the same family residing in the State of Idaho, in the United States.
The state district court ordered the violators to pay a record sum for having sold fake iPhones and smartphones for years Samsung on resale sites like Amazon and eBay. The defendants, namely Pavel Babichenko, Piotr Babichenko, Timofey Babichenko, David Bibikov and Mikhail Iyerusalimets presented these devices as new and genuine.
Also read: this scammer stole 1 million euros from Apple with fake iPhones for more than 3 years
A well-oiled traffic of counterfeit iPhones and Samsungs
In truth, the siblings bought these counterfeits in bulk from specialized manufacturers located in Hong Kong, before to recondition them and resell them individually to consumers via e-commerce platforms. In total, the damage is in the millions of dollars.
“The convictions, sentences and financial recovery handed down in this case reflect our ability to work with our law enforcement partners to dismantle large-scale, long-term fraud enterprises that cross borders.” welcomes Idaho Attorney Josh Hurwit.
After a three-month long trial, the court sentenced the defendants to substantial prison terms and very heavy financial penalties. In addition to fines, we must add the payment of particularly high damages.
Jail and millions in damages
For the most part, they receive a prison sentence ranging from 4 to 6 years. Pavel Babichenko, considered the mastermind of the operation by justice, will have to pay more than $33 million in damages alone. In total, the defendants will have to pay more than $51 million.
For its part, the family has decided to proclaim its innocence, and to cry conspiracy at the same time, via a petition filed on Change.org. To sum up, she believes she is the victim of a conspiracy fomented by the US government, Apple and Samsung, due to his Russian origin and his Christian faith. As a reminder, a scammer was caught in 2022 for having scammed Apple for years. He sent fake iPhones to the manufacturer and invoked the warranty to receive new ones.
Source: Justice.gov