YPSILANTI, Mich. – Mubasher Riaz, of Ypsilanti, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Court documents revealed Riaz was engaged in an online refund scheme from July 2017 through his arrest in November 2023.
Recommended Videos
According to court records, defendants Mubasher Riaz and his brother, Muzzammil Riaz, were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud earlier this year.
Muzzammil pled guilty to his lesser role in the scheme on June 4, 2025.
As part of their pleas, both men admitted to purchasing online goods using fraudulent identities, virtual private networks, different electronic devices, and other means intended to avoid fraud detection by online vendors.
Court documents revealed the brothers purchased goods from hundreds of vendors, including cell phones, tablets, electronic doorbells, and clothing.
After receiving the purchased goods, the brothers submitted refund claims, falsely claiming the purchased goods were defective.
Despite submitting a refund, the brothers did not return the purchased goods.
Instead, the brothers shipped back an empty box, a counterfeit item, or an alternative item, such as a book, that matched the expected weight of the return shipment.
Mubasher would then resell the unlawfully obtained goods for profit.
At the time, Mubasher was under investigation for sexual exploitation of children.
Agents stated that they found evidence of fraud in plain view at the home, including over 40 cell phones and 30 tablets that were individually labeled with the personal identifying information of different identities used in the fraud scheme.
The total loss incurred by online vendors was over $400,000. While the brothers used numerous accounts, some of the more common accounts used to make the online purchases and fraudulent refunds included:
- docriaz1983@gmail.com
- joota429@gmail.com
- muza34082@outlook.com
- juano42@yahoo.com