Yangwei Li and Yawen Huang, both 38 and residents of Philadelphia, were sentenced to 18 months in prison each for their involvement in importing and selling counterfeit cell phones and accessories. United States Attorney David Metcalf announced the sentences, which also include three years of supervised release and $60,000 in restitution. The sentencing was 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 2023.
Court documents state that beginning in July 2018, United States Customs and Border Protection intercepted shipments containing telephones and accessories at ports including Philadelphia, New York, and Louisville. These shipments were addressed to Li under several aliases at addresses connected to him and Huang.
The intercepted devices carried counterfeit trademarks from major brands such as Samsung, Apple, AKG, as well as fake Underwriters Laboratories symbols. Experts from trademark owners or Customs confirmed the items’ counterfeit status.
Between July 2018 and July 2020, Customs seized a total of 24 shipments imported by Li and Huang. The seized goods had a manufacturer’s suggested retail price approaching $350,000.
After seizing the counterfeit items, Customs sent notices to Li at various addresses under his aliases. These notices stated that the items had been seized as counterfeits and requested any contrary evidence. Neither defendant responded to these notifications. Samsung also issued six cease-and-desist letters to Li using his different aliases; again, neither Li nor Huang replied.
On April 2, 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the couple’s home on Chandler Street in Philadelphia. Agents recovered a variety of counterfeit products including Apple charging kits; iPhones; Samsung chargers; headphones from Samsung and AKG; LG chargers; UL charging cables; as well as packaging materials for Samsung and iPhone products. They also found laptops, thumb drives, and cell phones linking both defendants to six eBay sites selling counterfeit goods. The domestic value of these seized items was estimated at about $224,197.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations with prosecution by Assistant United States Attorneys Paul Shapiro and Ruth Mandelbaum.
“Yangwei Li, aka Jason Lee, Jason Li, Bryan Li, and Ryan Li, 38, and Yawen Huang, aka Yvonne Huang, 38, both of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were each sentenced this week to 18 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and $60,000 in restitution by United States District Judge Chad F. Kenney, for their scheme to import and sell counterfeit cell phones,” said U.S. Attorney David Metcalf.
