A Los Angeles woman who carried out fraud schemes against Target and DoorDash and impersonated social media influencers to con fashion companies into sending her cash and merchandise was sentenced Thursday to five years in federal prison.
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Jennifer Quan, 24, of the Miracle Mile area of Los Angeles, was also ordered by U.S. District Judge Hernán D. Vera to pay more than $1 million in restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Quan pleaded guilty in March to three federal counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Prosecutors say Quan used a variety of schemes to scam victims out of more than $1 million.
"She impersonated celebrities, conning fashion companies into sending her over $120,000 in cash and products," the government wrote in sentencing papers filed in Los Angeles federal court. "She bought expensive electronics and returned fake ones to Target, collecting over $840,000 in fraudulent refunds. And she defrauded DoorDash out of over $42,000 by canceling orders after receiving the products."
Quan's attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Quan's schemes "showed ingenuity, cunning, and creativity -- but little remorse."
She went out of her way to hurt others, prosecutors said, more than once calling DoorDash to exact revenge on Dashers (the delivery company's drivers) by demanding that the employee not get paid or be suspended from their job.
"Defendant's lies risked cheating these Dashers out of their livelihoods," prosecutors wrote, adding that Quan also lied to U.S. Pretrial and Probation Services and defied a judge's orders.
"Immediately upon being released on bond, she began transferring over $150,000 from undisclosed accounts in structured amounts of $9,999, contravening the magistrate judge's orders," prosecutors wrote. "And despite the heightened scrutiny, she continued her DoorDash fraud scheme while on bond."
Court papers show Quan defrauded fashion companies by impersonating celebrity influencers and their employees by creating email accounts displaying similar names. She then sent emails and texts to famous fashion brands, including Authentic Brand Group, House of CB, Pretty Little Thing, and Fashion Nova, impersonating the celebrities, according to her plea agreement.
"Through these frauds, defendant convinced companies to enter into `Influencer Agreements,' claiming that she would use the celebrities' social media platforms to advertise and promote the fashion companies' products," the government wrote.
In total, Quan fraudulently caused the fashion companies to send her nearly $121,000 in cash, jewelry and merchandise, court papers show.
The names of the social media influencers appropriated by Quan were not released.
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