A 29-year-old man from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, has pleaded guilty to charges connected to orchestrating a fraudulent online refund scheme that exploited several online retailers. Leonardo Vidal admitted to wire fraud and money laundering in the U.S. District Court in Seattle, as announced by U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Vidal now faces up to 20 years in prison, with sentencing by U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik set for November 7, according to a report from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The court documents uncovered that from June 2021 through April 2023, Vidal ran a scheme under the banner of Ressu Refunds, which gathered some 2,800 subscribers and secured $6 million in fraudulent refunds. Further, beginning in June 2022, Vidal was found to have conspired with Sajed Al-Maarej of Dearborn, Michigan who ran a similar operation known as "Simple Refunds," using the messaging service Telegram to conduct their business.
These Telegram channels lured customers by falsely assuring them that they could purchase high-value items and receive refunds while keeping the goods, by deceiving merchant companies with fictitious claims. The prosecutors disclosed that customers provided Vidal and Al-Maarej with their purchase details, such as order numbers and item values. In return for their "services," Vidal and his accomplices demanded a fee totaling 10-15% of the purchase price, thus profiting from the fraudulent transactions.
In one instance of the fraudulent operations, Vidal reportedly acquired Simple Refunds from Al-Maarej in December 2022. Before selling Ressu Refunds and Simple Refunds to an unidentified Telegram user in April 2023, Vidal had enriched himself with $87,000 through Simple Refunds, which was held responsible for $726,414 in fraudulent refunds. Across both platforms during his tenure, the schemes siphoned over 6 million dollars. Vidal has agreed to repay the full amount of his ill-gotten gains as part of his plea agreement.
Alongside wire fraud, Vidal pleaded guilty to money laundering, and prosecutors are recommending a prison term of no more than 87 months. His co-conspirator, Al-Maarej, pleaded guilty to related charges on July 15, 2024, and will share the November 7 sentencing date with Vidal. As reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office, the investigation led by the FBI and United States Postal Inspection Service remains active, with the potential for additional charges and defendants to emerge.
