He bought at least 140 iPads from Targets in Eastern Washington. What he returned were fakes

A 24-year-old man stole $326,000 from area Target stores in a counterfeit iPad fraud scheme in which he’d swap real devices for fakes and then return them to stores in Eastern Washington.

U.S. District Judge Rebecca L. Pennell on Monday sentenced Zhangbo Liang, of Fuzhou City, China, to 264 days in prison after Liang pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy to commit access device fraud. Liang served 101 days on related charges in Skagit County, Washington, making his total length of imprisonment one year, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office – Eastern District of Washington news release.

According to court documents, Liang’s friend offered him a job in the summer of 2023 using gift cards to make purchases at Target, the release said. The items would then be delivered to another person.

Later that year, Liang started purchasing authentic iPads from Target stores in Eastern Washington and elsewhere, removing them from their boxes and replacing them with counterfeit iPads. He then resealed the boxes, returned the counterfeit iPads and received a refund on a Target gift card, according to the release.

Liang purchased additional items from Target with the gift card, including more iPads to be replaced with counterfeit goods for returns to the stores.

In the first half of 2024, Liang returned at least 140 iPads to Target stores and was refunded about $163,000. Target stores lost about $326,000 in the fraudulent iPads scheme and from reimbursing the purchase amount to a gift card.

“Mr. Liang participated in a calculated scheme that exploited retail return systems for substantial personal gain, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses,” Acting U.S. Attorney Richard Barker said in the release. “This type of fraud undermines the integrity of commerce and ultimately affects everyday consumers by raising prices for everyone. I am so grateful for the diligent work of Homeland Security Investigations and our partners throughout this investigation to protect everyday consumers, who live and work in Eastern Washington.”

Pennell ordered Liang to serve three years of supervised release and pay $326,000 in restitution, the release said.

Liang’s co-defendant, Linda You, pleaded guilty to a fraud charge and will be sentenced June 23 in Spokane.