LOS ANGELES – The grimy truth emerges as two Chinese nationals, Yushan Lin and Shuyi Xing, both of Corona, California, have pleaded guilty to a colossal fraud scheme against tech giant Apple Inc. This trans-Pacific con involved the fraudulent return of thousands of counterfeit iPhones and iPads, costing Apple at least $16.2 million.
Lin, 31, and Xing, 35, are the final two defendants charged in this massive fraud case to face federal criminal charges. They have pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, with Xing also admitting to a separate money laundering scheme involving over $1 million.
Lin’s and Xing’s plea agreements reveal a sophisticated operation from at least December 2015 to March 2024. The group smuggled counterfeit Apple devices to the U.S., making them appear genuine with identification numbers matching real products. They deceived Apple into replacing these counterfeit devices under warranty, using real people’s device details.
The ringleader of this criminal enterprise, Wenhui Huang, and four others have previously pleaded guilty. Huang, an illegal alien, was the mastermind behind the scheme, while Yang Song served as his second-in-command. Junwei Jiang and Zhengxuan Hu, both illegal aliens, were also part of the fraudulent operation.
Throughout Southern California, the defendants visited multiple Apple stores, returning counterfeit devices under false pretenses. They would claim the devices were broken or non-operational, but knew they were fraudulently using real people’s identification numbers to victimize both Apple and device owners.
This elaborate scheme was a high-tech heist, with the gang visiting up to 10 different Apple stores to return counterfeit devices. Once at the store, they would receive genuine replacements or repairs, further perpetuating their deceit.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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