Los Angeles, CA. — Two men were sentenced to federal prison Aug. 28 for leading a scheme that used counterfeit iPhones, iPads and other devices to obtain genuine Apple products, causing the company at least $16.2 million in losses, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
U.S. District Judge André Birotte Jr. sentenced Wenhui Huang, 41, of Chino Hills to 78 months in prison and ordered him to pay $16,239,254 in restitution. Yang Song, 39, of Corona received 57 months in prison and was ordered to pay $16,997,415. Prosecutors described both men as Chinese nationals and said Huang was in the United States illegally. They were the final defendants sentenced in the six-person case.
According to court documents, the scheme operated from at least December 2015 to March 2024. Accomplices in China shipped counterfeit devices to participants in the United States. The fakes carried serial and other identification numbers copied from genuine Apple products owned by customers in North America and covered by Apple warranties…