
SHELTON – A 30-year-old Shelton man faces up to 20 years in federal prison for ripping off Amazon, the online retail giant.
The government says Oshane Stewart set up multiple fake vendor accounts under the guise he was selling items through Amazon’s website. He repeatedly told Amazon items shipped to Amazon’s warehouse to be stored until they were sold had been lost in transit.
“In reality, he would not ship the merchandise, and would later falsely claim that it had been lost, supporting his false claims with fabricated documents,” according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Connecticut.
Amazon would then issue refunds for the merchandise.
The scheme worked from September 2016 to August 2018 and cost Amazon roughly $740,000, according to the government. Court documents do not explain how Stewart was caught.
Two other men, Rajhni Yankana and Stewart’s brother, Kenoy, were also arrested in connection to the scam.
Oshane Stewart pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud last week as part of a plea agreement with the government. His brother and Yankana previously pleaded guilty.
Court documents show the three will also have to pay restitution in connection to the crime. Oshane Stewart has agreed to sell property he owns in Jamaica.
The trio is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 23, 2023.