Michigan Man pleads guilty to running Apple “empty-box” fraud scheme

Van-Seyla Mork has pled guilty in federal court in San Jose to wire fraud and money laundering, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett. 

In pleading guilty, Mork admitted to perpetrating a refund fraud scheme against Apple. Specifically, he admitted that he initiated fraudulent complaints to the company’s customer service department, each complaint alleging, on behalf of Apple customers, that a purchased Apple product had not been mailed to an Apple customer as it should have been, but that instead only an empty Apple box had been mailed to the Apple customer’s mailing address.  

Mork further admitted that at the time he submitted these complaints, he knew these assertions were false and that Apple had, in fact, mailed the purchased products to the individual purchasers.  

Through this fraudulent scheme, Mork admitted that he caused Apple to issue $1,000,000 in refunds for undelivered Apple products that had, in fact, been delivered.  Moreover, Mork admitted that he transferred the proceeds of this fraudulent scheme through various bank accounts with the intent of concealing the nature and location of these wire-fraud proceeds.   

Mork was released on bond; bail was set at $50,000.  His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 21.