Two men who ran a counterfeit iPhone and iPad ring that hit the Manhattan Beach Apple Store were sentenced to federal prison Friday, Aug. 28.

Wenhui Huang, 41, of Chino Hills, received 78 months (six and a half years) and was ordered to pay $16,239,254 in restitution. Yang Song, 39, of Corona, received 57 months and was ordered to pay $16,997,415. U.S. District Judge André Birotte Jr. handed down both sentences in Los Angeles federal court, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.

The scheme ran for more than eight years, from December 2015 to March 2024, and cost Apple at least $16.2 million, federal prosecutors said.

Counterfeit iPhones, iPads and other Apple devices were smuggled from China to Huang, Song and other co-conspirators in the United States. The group then brought the fakes to Apple stores, claiming the devices were broken or defective and covered under warranty. Apple replaced them with genuine products.

The counterfeits carried identification numbers matching real Apple devices sold in North America and owned by real people, which allowed the fakes to pass warranty checks, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Once Apple handed over genuine replacements, the defendants shipped them to co-conspirators in the U.S. and abroad, primarily in China, where they were resold for profit.

The group rented dozens of mailboxes at UPS Stores across Southern California to receive both the incoming counterfeits from China and the genuine replacement devices from Apple.

Prosecutors said the defendants visited as many as 10 different Apple stores in a single stretch, targeting locations in Manhattan Beach, Beverly Hills, Sherman Oaks, Pasadena, Irvine, Northridge, Brea, Rancho Cucamonga and Cerritos, as well as stores at The Grove, South Coast Plaza, Fashion Island and The Americana at Brand.

The Orange County Register reported that both men are Chinese nationals living in the Inland Empire.

Huang pleaded guilty in May 2025 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods, and engaging in a monetary transaction in property derived from unlawful activity. Song pleaded guilty in June 2025 to 21 counts of wire fraud, mail fraud and related conspiracies, plus a separate count of conspiracy to commit money laundering for a scheme involving funneling fraud proceeds overseas.

Huang and Song were the final defendants sentenced. Four others were also convicted: Shuyi Xing, 36, of Corona, received 38 months; Junwei Jiang, 39, of East Los Angeles, received 36 months; Zhengxuan Hu, 28, of Alhambra, received 24 months; and Yushan Lin, 32, of Corona, received 18 months of home detention.

Homeland Security Investigations and IRS Criminal Investigation led the case, with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Los Angeles Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Roach of the Major Frauds Section prosecuted.

Residents who suspect counterfeit goods or warranty fraud can report tips to Homeland Security Investigations at 1-866-347-2423.