A 24-year-old woman from Los Angeles has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for a range of fraudulent schemes that netted over $1 million.
Jennifer Quan, who lived in the Miracle Mile area of the city, was also ordered to pay more than $1 million in restitution following her guilty plea in March to three federal counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Prosecutors describe Quan’s actions as displaying a high level of ingenuity coupled with a concerning lack of remorse.
Her fraudulent activities spanned various sectors, including retail and e-commerce, with major targets such as Target and several high-profile fashion companies.
One of her primary schemes involved abusing the return policies at Target, where she purchased electronics and then returned counterfeit or non-functioning products.
In total, she defrauded Target of more than $840,000 through these false returns.
Additionally, she targeted DoorDash, managing to scam the delivery service out of over $42,000 by repeatedly canceling orders after receiving the items.
In these instances, Quan would contact DoorDash, posing as a store owner, and falsely claim that orders hadn’t been picked up, demanding refunds after she had already received the products.
This manipulation of the system demonstrated her cunning ability to exploit third-party relationships in the gig economy.
Prosecutors highlighted an alarming aspect of her behavior, stating that she even took steps to harm delivery drivers by ensuring they would not receive payment for completed deliveries.
The court documents reveal the chaotic nature of her calls to DoorDash, where her unusual claims convinced support agents to act on her instructions.
In one instance, she identified herself as the owner of several stores, including Sephora and Target, fraudulently claiming that orders related to her businesses needed to be canceled.
“Hello, I work at the restaurant,” she stated in one call.
“I need you to reverse the status and unassign the Dasher from a completed order because the item is still at my store.”
This tactic worked repeatedly, showcasing her deceptive abilities.
Even after her initial arrest, Quan displayed an unwillingness to abide by legal constraints, transferring over $150,000 from undisclosed accounts shortly after being released on bond.
She continued her fraudulent schemes while on bond, demonstrating flagrant disregard for the law and court orders.
In addition to her scams targeting retailers, Quan also perpetrated fraud against various fashion companies by impersonating social media influencers.
She created email addresses mimicking the names of these influencers and reached out to well-known brands to negotiate fake influencer agreements, claiming she could promote their products through social media platforms.
Using this scheme, she duped companies into sending her nearly $121,000 worth of cash, jewelry, and merchandise.
For example, she posed as an influencer’s assistant in communications with Authentic Brand Group and Fashion Nova, claiming she could create content in exchange for clothing and monetary compensation.
Court documents revealed her emails included requests for significant sums, with one stating, “I typically charge $6k a month but that depends.
I also receive clothing or materials to create content as well.”
In total, her fraudulent activities were extensive, affecting a variety of victims who lost tangible goods, money, and livelihoods due to her actions.
Prosecutors have characterized her schemes as inexcusably malicious, emphasizing how her lies directly jeopardized the income of individuals working within the gig economy, including those delivering food.
Through her actions, Quan’s repeated violations of trust and legal boundaries have resulted in a stern sentence, though the impact on her victims remains immeasurable.
This case serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities within gig economies and retail environments, where regulatory measures may be insufficient to prevent such creative but malicious exploitation.
image source from：https://patch.com/california/los-angeles/1m-la-scammer-sentenced-target-returns-fake-influencer-emails
