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Couple at Center of $1.2 Million Amazon Scam Gets Nearly 6 Years in Prison

By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
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By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
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June 5, 2018, 12:36 PM ET

A husband and wife have each been sentenced to nearly six years in prison for defrauding Amazon of $1.2 million.

Erin Finan and Leah Finan pleaded guilty to federal mail fraud and money laundering charges after they stole and sold more than 2,700 tech gadgets on Amazon. Erin Finan was sentenced to 71 months in prison and Leah was sentenced to 68 months, according to the Justice Department.

In a statement this week, the Justice Department said that the Finans “exploited Amazon’s customer service policy” when they bought Microsoft Xbox units, Samsung smartwatches, Apple MacBooks, GoPro cameras, and more. The Justice Department said that they would create fake identities and place orders for products. They would then tell Amazon that their products were damaged or not operational, prompting Amazon to send them replacements at no charge. They would then pick up those products at various shipping stores across Indiana and sell them to a third-party “fence” named Danijel Glumac.

According to the Justice Department, the scam spanned two years from 2014 and 2016 and became their “job.” At one point, they were selling products to Glumac on a “near-daily basis,” the Justice Department said.

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In total, the Finans stole $1.2 million and netted $750,000 from their activities, according to law enforcement. They were investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Indiana State Police.

U.S. District Court judge Tonya Walton Pratt sentenced the Finans on Monday on the federal charges. Glumac, who also pleaded guilty to money laundering and fencing the stolen goods, was sentenced to 24 months in prison by Judge Pratt.

“To those who seek to exploit the convenience of online shopping through fraud, remember this case,” U.S. Attorney Josh Minkler said in a statement. “You will be caught. You will be prosecuted. And you will go to federal prison for a long time.”

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By Don Reisinger
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