Yangwei Li and Yawen Huang, both 38 and residents of Philadelphia, have been sentenced to 18 months in prison each for their roles in a scheme involving the importation and sale of counterfeit cell phones and accessories. United States Attorney David Metcalf announced the sentencing, which also includes three years of supervised release and $60,000 in restitution for each defendant. The sentences were handed down by United States District Judge Chad F. Kenney.
Li and Huang were indicted in September 2023 and pleaded guilty to two counts of mail fraud in November of that year.
According to court documents, beginning in July 2018, U.S. Customs and Border Protection began intercepting shipments containing telephones and accessories at ports in Philadelphia, New York, and Louisville. These shipments were addressed to Li under several aliases at three Philadelphia addresses linked to him and Huang.
The intercepted devices bore counterfeit trademarks from brands such as Samsung, Apple, AKG, as well as fake Underwriters Laboratories symbols. Experts from trademark owners or Customs confirmed the counterfeit nature of these goods.
Between July 2018 and July 2020, authorities seized 24 shipments of counterfeit items imported by Li and Huang. The total manufacturer’s suggested retail price for these goods was nearly $350,000.
After seizing the items, Customs sent notices to Li under his various aliases at the import addresses used. The notices indicated that the items had been seized due to being counterfeit and invited responses with contrary evidence. Neither Li nor Huang replied to any of these notices. Samsung also sent six cease-and-desist letters to Li using different aliases; again, neither defendant responded.
Law enforcement executed a search warrant on April 2, 2021 at the couple’s residence on Chandler Street in Philadelphia. Agents found a variety of counterfeit products including Apple charging kits; iPhones; Samsung chargers; AKG headphones; LG chargers; UL charging cables; packaging materials for Samsung and iPhone products; laptops; thumb drives; cell phones; and evidence linking them to six eBay sites selling counterfeit merchandise. The domestic value of these seized items was approximately $224,197.
Homeland Security Investigations led the investigation into this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Paul Shapiro and Ruth Mandelbaum prosecuted it.
“There are significant dangers associated with importing counterfeits—both for consumers who may unknowingly use faulty or dangerous electronics as well as for companies whose intellectual property is infringed,” said U.S. Attorney David Metcalf. “Our office will continue working with law enforcement partners to stop those who attempt to profit from illegal schemes like this one.”
