According to the Department of Justice, a Pennsylvania man has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Seattle to wire fraud and money laundering in connection with a large-scale fraudulent online refund scheme.
Leonardo Vidal, 29, of Wilkes-Barre, admitted to running the scam that defrauded online merchants of more than $6 million between 2021 and 2023.
When U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik announces his verdict on November 7, Vidal faces up to 20 years in prison.
Vidal ran a program called “Ressu Refunds” from June 2021 to April 2023, gaining over 2,800 subscribers who attempted to exploit online merchants.
The scheme involved customers purchasing high-value goods and falsely requesting a refund of the purchase price, but keeping the items.
Vidal would then pocket a portion of the fraudulent refunds and thereby enrich himself.
As of June 2022, Vidal began working with 25-year-old Sajed Al-Maarej of Dearborn, Michigan, who ran a similar program called Simple Refunds.
The two men used the messaging service Telegram to communicate with customers and coordinate the fraud.
They even recruited insiders at UPS and the U.S. Postal Service to manipulate tracking data to make it appear that packages were lost, stolen, or returned.
In December 2022, Vidal acquired Simple Refunds from Al-Maarej, which had processed over $726,000 in fraudulent refunds through the platform.
Vidal continued the scheme until April 2023, earning more than $87,000 from Simple Refunds and $640,000 from Ressu Refunds.
Vidal has agreed to pay back more than $6 million, the total value of the refunds he suffered during his time as a fraudster.
Although wire fraud and money laundering carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, prosecutors have agreed to recommend a maximum sentence of 87 months.
Judge Lasnik will determine the final sentence based on federal guidelines and other considerations.
Al-Maarej also pleaded guilty to conspiracy and mail and wire fraud on July 15, with sentencing scheduled for November 7.
