Zhiting Liao, 33, and Zhimin Liao, 36, both from San Diego, pleaded guilty on June 2 to conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods for trafficking fraudulently obtained iPhones and iPads, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of California.
The men and a third brother − identified in court papers as 34-year-old Zhiwei Liao − were indicted in October 2019. Online records show Zhiwei Liao also pleaded guilty in connection to the case in June. He’s slated to be sentenced on Oct. 30.
“For years, the Liao brothers and their co-conspirators trafficked thousands of counterfeit Apple products in exchange for genuine Apple products totaling millions of dollars,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy said in the release.
The brother’s wives, 32-year-old Dao La; 31-year-old Mengmeng Zhang; and 39-year-old Tam Nguyen, also pleaded guilty in June to charges of wire fraud and mail fraud in the case, Kelly Thornton, a spokesperson for the office said Thursday.
All three wives were sentenced to three years in prison, court documents show.