Louis Perpignan, Wire Fraud, Arizona 2025

PHOENIX, Ariz. – In a shocking case of white-collar crime, Louis Perpignan, a 33-year-old man from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to 42 months in prison for operating a massive refund scheme that swindled at least 31 retailers out of over $2.6 million.

Between May 2016 and May 2021, Perpignan operated an online refund service called the ‘Members Only Refund Service,’ which promised to help individuals return purchased items from various retailers across the country. But what the customers didn’t know was that Perpignan was posing as the customer and using various tactics to trick the retailers into issuing refunds without returning the products.

Perpignan would convince the retailers that the items either never arrived or had already been returned, and then receive a fee of up to 25% of the item’s purchase price from the customer. The customers, on the other hand, would get to keep the items and a partial refund.

With his ill-gotten gains, Perpignan lived an extravagant lifestyle, purchasing at least eight vehicles, including a $176,000 Lamborghini Huracan. The scheme was uncovered by the Darknet Marketplace and Digital Currency Task Force, with assistance from the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations.

Perpignan pleaded guilty to Wire Fraud and was sentenced to 42 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay over $2.6 million in restitution.

The case serves as a reminder of the dangers of online scams and the importance of being cautious when dealing with unfamiliar services. It’s a stark warning to those who think they can get away with such schemes.

Perpignan’s case is a testament to the hard work of law enforcement agencies in cracking down on white-collar crime. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, handled the prosecution, and the Darknet Marketplace and Digital Currency Task Force, along with other agencies, contributed to the investigation.

For more information on this case, please visit the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, website at http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/. Follow them on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest updates.

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