CarderPlanet
Professional
This amazing story began back in 2011, and ends only now. Three brothers-Zhimin, Zhiqing, and Zhiwei Liao-led a criminal group of 14 people. All of them were engaged in bringing fake iPhones from China, and then went to Apple stores and" under warranty " exchanged them for real iPhones. Thus, they replaced 10 thousand fakes.
Details about how the criminals managed to pass the verification of devices in the Apple Store were not disclosed. But it seems that the fakes had real serial numbers, somehow copied from real iPhones.
Zhiqing alone visited more than 200 Apple stores in 18 states and Canada. His brother Zhimin had been to a hundred salons. For two of them, they exchanged about one and a half thousand iPhones. The brothers and other members of the group were arrested only in 2019. For eight years, they caused Apple damage worth about $6.1 million.
The investigation lasted almost four years. Today, the first court decision was issued, which so far concerns only Zhimin and Zhiqing Liao, as well as their wives. The brothers were sentenced to 41 months in prison, and their spouses were given three years of probation. In addition, the brothers agreed to give up five homes in San Diego, return about $250 thousand and 200 iPhones.
Details about how the criminals managed to pass the verification of devices in the Apple Store were not disclosed. But it seems that the fakes had real serial numbers, somehow copied from real iPhones.
Zhiqing alone visited more than 200 Apple stores in 18 states and Canada. His brother Zhimin had been to a hundred salons. For two of them, they exchanged about one and a half thousand iPhones. The brothers and other members of the group were arrested only in 2019. For eight years, they caused Apple damage worth about $6.1 million.
The investigation lasted almost four years. Today, the first court decision was issued, which so far concerns only Zhimin and Zhiqing Liao, as well as their wives. The brothers were sentenced to 41 months in prison, and their spouses were given three years of probation. In addition, the brothers agreed to give up five homes in San Diego, return about $250 thousand and 200 iPhones.
