Two Riverside County residents pleaded guilty Wednesday in downtown Los Angeles to federal charges stemming from a counterfeit electronics scheme that targeted Apple stores across Southern California, including one in Pasadena, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Yushan Lin, 31, and Shuyi Xing, 35, both of Corona, admitted to participating in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud by importing fake iPhones and iPads from China and exchanging them for genuine devices at Apple retail locations. Xing also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering in a separate scheme involving more than $1 million in proceeds from elder fraud cases.
Federal prosecutors said the pair visited multiple Apple stores throughout the region—including in Pasadena, Beverly Hills, Sherman Oaks, Irvine, Northridge, Manhattan Beach, and Rancho Cucamonga—as well as high-traffic retail centers such as The Grove in Los Angeles and The Americana at Brand in Glendale. The counterfeit devices were embedded with serial numbers and identifiers mimicking legitimate Apple products, deceiving store employees into issuing replacements under warranty.
Once the genuine devices were obtained, Lin and Xing shipped them to co-conspirators in the U.S. and abroad, primarily in China, where they were resold for profit. Cupertino-based Apple reported losses of at least $16.2 million as a result of the scheme.
Four additional defendants have also pleaded guilty in Los Angeles federal court and are awaiting sentencing.
U.S. District Judge André Birotte Jr. set sentencing for Dec. 10. Lin faces up to 20 years in federal prison, while Xing could receive up to 40 years.
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