Three men from the Phoenix area have been sentenced for their roles in what federal prosecutors described as a sophisticated fraud scheme targeting the online retail giant Amazon.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, 29-year-old Mughith Faisal of Glendale was sentenced on Feb. 5 to 18 months in prison. His brother, 28-year-old Basheer Faisal, also of Glendale, received the same sentence of 18 months behind bars.
A third defendant, 28-year-old Abdullah Alwan of Surprise, was sentenced to six months in prison after all three men pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges.
Federal prosecutors said the trio was also ordered to collectively pay $1.5 million each in restitution to Amazon for their involvement in the scheme.
Investigators said Alwan previously worked in Amazon’s logistics division and left the company in 2021. Authorities allege he used insider knowledge from his position to manipulate transportation rates assigned to third-party delivery carriers.
According to officials, Basheer and Mughith Faisal operated a company called Blue Line Transport and knowingly submitted inflated transportation rates. Prosecutors said Alwan then entered those manipulated rates into Amazon’s internal system, allowing the company to receive significantly higher payments for deliveries.
Federal authorities say the scheme ultimately cost Amazon approximately $4.5 million.
The investigation was carried out by the FBI’s Phoenix Division and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.
