Six former Apple employees are facing fraud charges in a scam that targeted the tech giant's program for matching workers' charitable donations, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office.
The former employees, over a three-year period, tricked the tech company into matching thousands of dollars in donations to children’s charities when they were not in fact donating a thing, the DA's Office said. The total take from the scheme was about $152,000.
Those charged are Siu Kei (Alex) Kwan, 37, of Castro Valley; Yathei (Hayson) Yuen, 34, of San Jose; Yat C (Sunny) Ng, 35, of Milpitas; Wentao (Victor) Li, 38 of Hayward; Lichao Ni, 39, of Sunnyvale; and Zheng Chang, 31, of Union City.
Kwan was the ringleader, the DA's Office said.
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The charges consist of multiple felony offenses, including grand theft, conspiracy to commit felony grand theft, perjury and tax fraud, the DA said.
From July 1, 2018, until April 6, 2021, the defendants defrauded Apple’s Matching Gifts Program when they pretended to make donations to the American Chinese International Cultural Exchange (ACICE) or Hop4Kids, the DA said. The workers' donations were returned to them, and Kwan, the CEO of Hop4Kids and accountant for ACICE, kept Apple’s matching funds.
The defendants also defrauded the state of California when they wrote off their "charitable donations" on their tax returns, the DA's Office said.
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"This case underscores our unwavering commitment to rigorously prosecuting individuals who defraud the tech community and misuse vital charitable programs and state resources," District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. "We commend Apple for coming forward and actively collaborating with our Office to uncover this elaborate fraud."
Arrest warrants have been issued for all six defendants, the DA said.
Anyone with information on this case or other cases of misuse of charitable donation matching programs should contact Investigator Justin DeOliveira via email at jdeoliveira@dao.sccgov.org.
