Four brothers — YOEL ABRAHAM, HESHL ABRAHAM, ZISHE ABRAHAM, and SHMUEL ABRAHAM — have been indicted and arrested in Manhattan on charges they orchestrated a $19 million fraudulent invoicing scheme targeting Amazon’s vendor system. The Southern District of New York unsealed the indictment today, revealing a calculated effort to exploit Amazon’s wholesale platform by shipping far more goods than ordered — or none at all — while billing the company for inflated quantities and prices.
According to the indictment, the defendants posed as legitimate wholesale suppliers, opening vendor accounts to sell small quantities of goods. But instead of fulfilling Amazon’s orders as agreed, they manipulated the system to invoice for tens of thousands of units — sometimes over 10,000 — when Amazon had ordered fewer than 100. The scheme netted at least $19 million in fraudulent payments, with attempts to extract up to $32 million from the e-commerce giant.
The Abrahams didn’t work alone. They coordinated their fraud through an encrypted WhatsApp group, trading tactics and warnings in real time. On May 1, 2018, YOEL ABRAHAM wrote, “I’m so in the mood to fuck Amazon,” and asked if anyone had made a million-dollar profit in a week through overshipping. ZISHE ABRAHAM asked for details, while SHMUEL ABRAHAM advised using backup accounts to avoid detection: “Just make sure you have another account. But you can fuck them a lot.”
When Amazon finally caught on and suspended their accounts, the defendants didn’t stop. They allegedly tried to open new accounts and disguise their identities, continuing the cycle of fraud. The indictment details how they used shell businesses and false documentation to re-enter the system, showing a pattern of persistent, tech-savvy deception aimed squarely at exploiting automated vendor processes.
Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss didn’t mince words: “The indictment alleges that Yoel, Heshl, Zishe, and Shmuel Abraham came up with a new twist on an old trick, but the use of complex technology did not hide the simple fact that the defendants were bilking Amazon for goods they never provided.” She emphasized the broader threat to digital market integrity, vowing federal enforcement will keep pace with evolving fraud.
HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh warned that invoice fraud isn’t victimless. “Millions in lost revenue impacts a company’s ability to serve legitimate customers,” he said. “HSI works closely with private partners to mitigate this fraud and prosecute those responsible.” The four defendants were arrested this morning and are scheduled for arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stewart D. Aaron. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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