Six former Apple employees have been accused of stealing over $150,000 by misusing the company’s charity donation matching program.
Over three years, the group defrauded Apple and the State of California, pretending to donate to children’s charities while pocketing the funds.
The employees also falsely claimed these fake donations on their tax returns to reduce their tax bills.
Six former Apple employees have been charged with a shocking scheme to steal over $150,000 by misusing the company’s charity donation matching program. Over three years, the group defrauded Apple and the State of California, pretending to donate to children’s charities while pocketing the funds.
The alleged mastermind behind the operation, Siu Kei (Alex) Kwan, used his roles as the CEO of Hop4Kids and accountant for the American Chinese International Cultural Exchange (ACICE) to orchestrate the fraud. He encouraged five colleagues to make fake donations to these organisations through Apple’s Matching Gifts Program. Instead of actually donating, the employees were reimbursed by Kwan, who then kept the matching funds provided by Apple. The employees also falsely claimed these fake donations on their tax returns to reduce their tax bills.
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The defendants — 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 — face multiple felony charges. These include grand theft, conspiracy, perjury, and tax fraud. Because of the large sums involved, the charges carry aggravated white-collar crime enhancements, which could lead to jail time, restitution payments, and hefty fines.
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The fraud took place between July 2018 and April 2021. Apple’s donation program, facilitated by the third-party platform Benevity, matched employee contributions to eligible charities by 100 percent or 200 percent. After the funds were matched, Benevity transferred the money to the charities. However, Kwan manipulated the system by reimbursing employees for their “donations” and keeping the matched funds for himself.
District Attorney Jeff Rosen praised Apple for bringing the fraud to light and cooperating with the investigation. He urged others in the tech community to report similar schemes.
The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office is continuing its investigation and has issued arrest warrants for all six defendants.
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Ayushi Jain
Tech news writer by day, BGMI player by night. Combining my passion for tech and gaming to bring you the latest in both worlds. View Full Profile
