Prosecutors want up to 4 years for 3 Drenthe men that defrauded Amazon of millions

Three men from Drenthe had prison terms of up to four years demanded against them Friday for defrauding Amazon. According to the Public Prosecution Service (OM), the men cheated Amazon out of millions of euros.

According to the prosecutor, the suspects pretended they would return the goods but never did. Return packages were instead packed with cheap items to match the weight of the original boxes.

“That way the suspects did not pay for items, including phones, memory cards, and LEGO,” the prosecutor said. “Amazon’s damages ultimately run into the millions.”

Prosecutors charged the three with fraud and embezzlement, among other offenses. They are also accused of money laundering and participating in a criminal organization. Amazon is seeking more than 2 million euros in compensation.

The prosecutor demanded a four-year prison sentence for the main suspect, a 30-year-old man from Hoogeveen. The two co-defendants should serve 30 months and 28 months, respectively, prosecutors said.