Five sisters are facing decades in federal prison for an elaborate mail fraud scheme that netted them more than $1 million over about two years.

Federal prosecutors say the sisters would make fraudulent returns by pretending to return an item through the mail to get a refund, then returning the item at an actual store to then get a second refund.

“It was over two years they committed this fraud, and we know it was at least a million dollars that was lost to fraud,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Yemini said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Yemini. – Videograb

The sisters have been indicted for mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud:

• Dunia Almezal, 29, of Marysville, Washington
• Layla Almansuri, 27, of Stanwood, Washington
• Shahad Almansuri, 33, of Marysville, Washington
• Raghad Almansuri, 32, Marysville, Washington
• Nejoom Almansuri, 25, Marysville, Washington

Four of the five sisters appeared in court Monday and pleaded not guilty to the charges. They were released with the promise to appear at all future court dates and must surrender their passports. The fifth sister is scheduled for an arraignment and detention hearing Tuesday.

Investigators say the sisters would buy items online, request a return shipping label, and then pretend to return them using a self-service kiosk at the post office.

The defendants would get a refund for the items they pretended to mail back, then turn around and return the items for a second fraudulent refund at the actual store. Federal prosecutors say the sisters even flew to multiple states across the country to make the returns and try to avoid getting caught.

The locations where the sisters are accused of committing up to $1 million in mail fraud. (KOMO News)

They would scan it in a self-service kiosk to return the items,” Yemini said. “They never returned anything in the mail.

“We have flight records that show they often went for one day,” Yemini said. “They traveled, left in the morning, returned in the evening to go to multiple stores in another state and make all of their returns before coming back.”

Court records state returns were made in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. In a search warrant, federal agents seized from the sisters about $500,000 in cash, about $500,000 worth of gold jewelry, five Teslas and more than $100,000 in activewear merchandise from the victim retailer.

“It’s not a victimless crime,” Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer said. “It’s not a small amount of money we’re talking about both in this case and the problem at large. It’s having real financial impacts on our federal partners.”

HSI officials say this type of fraud is a growing problem they see more of each year.

“Unfortunately, organized retail theft and the defrauding of companies to make a profit has been on the rise for several years now, and we’re seeing that time and time again here in this region,” Hammer said. “These folks are in it for the money, and they’re in it to defraud people, take the money and then spend their goods on lavish expenditures.”

The sisters all face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each of the 25 counts in the indictment. The trial is set for Aug. 19.

The accused sisters on their way to court. – Videograb