Amazon Seller Consultant Pleads Guilty to Bribery Scheme to Help Merchants

An unbound Amazon Counselor pleaded guilty to surrender more than $100,000 in bribes since 2017. Ephraim “Ed” Rosenberg has been charged with five others for paying bribes to Amazon employees in India who would provide something in return Amazon dealer with an increased advantage for selling goods on the platform.

Rosenberg made his plea Thursday, admitting to bribing company employees and apologizing for the act in one LinkedIn post On Monday. “Sometimes I have paid bribes, directly or indirectly, to Amazon employees,” he said, adding, “These actions were against the law.”

Discussing his guilty plea, Rosenberg continued, “I shouldn’t have engaged in any of that behavior. I’m sorry for doing those things. I very much regret having made them. I will plead guilty to a felony misconduct in federal court. I promise I won’t do that again. I strongly encourage all sellers and seller advisors to follow my example.”

The apology marked the first time Rosenberg had dismissed his previous claims of innocence when he called the case a “conspiracy” and claimed he was being framed. Rosenberg had denied the allegations just last month, but in complete contrast to his previous claims, he said his latest testimony was “accurate and truthful” and said he would “continue to stand by it.”

Prosecutors assume so scAm began back in 2017, and according to the indictment, he and the five other defendants “intended to harm not only Amazon, but also third-party sellers and consumers.” According to the indictment, “Amazon will be deprived of the exclusive use and confidentiality of its internal business information, will adversely affect Amazon’s ability to ensure the safety and authenticity of goods sold on the Amazon marketplace, and consumers’ access to accurate, reliable information.” produced on the Amazon Marketplace via dealers and dealers.”

An Amazon spokesman said in an email to Gizmodo that Rosenberg was never employed by the company, and when they noticed suspicious behavior in 2018, the company immediately reported it to the FBI.

According to the indictment filed Amazon retailers could hire a company insider removing negative customer reviews, and another $5,000 would secure them a “takedown,” meaning the insider would buy a competitor’s product and leave a negative review that would trigger the product’s suspension in the marketplace. Of the six people charged, four have pleaded guilty, including a former Amazon Employee sentenced to 10 months in prison last year according to CNBC. The point of sale says so too Amazon previously fired four employees in India allegedly linked to the bribery scheme in 2018.

Rosenberg will be sentenced at a later date and faces a fine of up to $250,000 and a maximum of 25 years in prison.

The Amazon spokesperson told Gizmodo, “Amazon is grateful to have worked with federal authorities in the thorough prosecution of this case and we appreciate the partnership with law enforcement to bring these bad actors to justice.” They added, ” There is no place for cheating at Amazon and we will continue to hold bad actors accountable.”