Duo That Defrauded Apple Out of 5,000 iPhones With Repair Scheme Could Spend Up to 20 Years in Prison - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Duo That Defrauded Apple Out of 5,000 iPhones With Repair Scheme Could Spend Up to 20 Years in Prison

Two Maryland residents that tried to defraud Apple out of 5,000 iPhones worth millions of dollars were today found guilty of mail fraud. Chinese nationals Haotian Sun and Pengfei Xue masterminded a scheme to get Apple to exchange genuine iPhones for counterfeit iPhones sent in for repair.

iPhone 15 General Feature Blue
Between May 2017 and September 2019, Sun and Xue received shipments of inauthentic iPhones from Hong Kong, using spoofed serial numbers and/or IMEI numbers to return them to Apple retail stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers.

More than 5,000 total iPhones were submitted to Apple during that two year period.

The two have been found guilty of mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud, and are facing a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Sentencing will take place on June 21, 2024.

Popular Stories

Four iPhone 18 Pro Colors Mock Feature

iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra: Pre-Orders and Release Date

Thursday July 30, 2026 6:12 am PDT by
Apple has yet to reveal when the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra will be announced and released, but the dates usually follow a familiar pattern. Labor Day is September 7 this year. The last time the holiday fell on that day was in 2020, but the iPhone event that year was delayed until October due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, the last time Labor Day was on September 7 in a normal year was in ...
Apple Event Logo

Apple Working on All-New Operating System

Wednesday July 29, 2026 11:39 am PDT by
Apple is developing an all-new operating system that is essentially a mix of tvOS, watchOS, and iOS, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In a report this week, he said the operating system will feature a grid of icons, widgets, and apps, along with customizable clock faces. The new software platform is intended for Apple's long-rumored smart home hub. With built-in facial recognition,...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

iPhone 18 Pro: Twelve Changes Coming to Apple's Next Flagship

Thursday July 30, 2026 3:43 am PDT by
We're less than two months out from the launch of Apple's premium next-generation smartphone lineup, and while we're not expecting a dramatic change in terms of functionality, there are still several enhancements rumored to be coming to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth noting is that Apple is reportedly planning a major change to its iPhone release cycle this year,...

Top Rated Comments

32 months ago
20 years is too much. That's a homicide punishment. Not actually fair. The judicial system in the United States is actually crazy. No wonder you guys have the highest incarceration in the world.
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GraXXoR Avatar
32 months ago
Up to 20 years? Damn, that's incredible... And to think that in the US, voluntary manslaughter incarceration is "for a period of no more than 15 years".

Someone could have died and they'd have got a lower maximum sentence. LOL

Ah, the US... gotta love their priorities...
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
32 months ago
They probably realise by now that it wasn't the great idea it seemed at the time.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
32 months ago

They should get nominated for the Darwin Awards.
Why, did they have something to do with Mac OS X? :p

https://apple.fandom.com/wiki/Darwin
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GraXXoR Avatar
32 months ago

If they were apprehended for the identical offense in China, they would likely face a life sentence.
Or let off depending on who their fathers are.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Arid Avatar
32 months ago
If they were apprehended for the identical offense in China, they would likely face a life sentence.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

🔗 Related Apple News & Rumors

Stay updated with the latest Apple ecosystem news and verified rumors