Arlington Woman Gets 30 Months Over Bizarre Counterfeit Handbag Scheme

ARLINGTON, VA — An Arlington woman has been sentenced to 30 months in prison over a scheme that involved defrauding department stores nationwide.

Praepitcha Smatsorabudh, 41, of Arlington was convicted to buying high-end purses online and then returning counterfeit purses to the department stores, essentially getting the expensive purses for free, which she then sold for more than $2,000 apiece, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.

The counterfeit purses Smatsorabudh used were smuggled into the country from China. She attempted to avoid detection by making fraudulent returns at more than 60 department store locations in 12 states, cheating stores out of more than $400,000, the statement notes.

Smatsorabudh will also have three years of supervised release after her sentence. She has been ordered to pay $403,250.81 in forfeiture and the same amount in restitution to her victims.

Image view Flickr user Chris Potter