Rhode Island Man Sentenced to 30 Months on Multiple Fraud Charges, Including Amazon Return Scheme

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN):

What:

On Friday, March 12, The U.S. District Court of Rhode Island sentenced Michael Chaves to 30 months in federal prison for operating a fraudulent product return scheme and defrauding Amazon of more than $50,000, as well as other charges including bank fraud, wire fraud, falsification of records, aggravated identity theft, and tax evasion. Amazon supported the investigation, prosecution, and sentencing.

You can see the press release issued by the US Attorney here, and the press release following his arrest in June 2020 here.

Statement from Amazon:

We work hard to build a great shopping experience and that includes a seamless, customer-friendly returns policy. Mr. Chaves abused our policy, and we took action to protect our selling partners, our store, and the experience for all customers. We are grateful to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island in their thorough pursuit of this case.

Amazon has teams and systems in place to proactively detect, investigate, and stop suspicious behavior and prohibited activity. Amazon has an extensive history of protecting its customers from fraud and abuse:

• https://press.aboutamazon.com/news-releases/news-release-details/amazon-supports-investigation-and-prosecution-four-new-york
• https://press.aboutamazon.com/news-releases/news-release-details/amazon-establishes-counterfeit-crimes-unit-bring-counterfeiters
• https://press.aboutamazon.com/news-releases/news-release-details/amazon-stops-multiple-fraudulent-affiliate-marketing-schemes