Massive Fake Coupon Operation Busted in Las Vegas, Defendant Pleads Guilty

LAS VEGAS — A Las Vegas woman has pleaded guilty in federal court to charges stemming from producing and selling millions of counterfeit retail coupons, authorities announced.

Investigators say Serena Reamy Hedden, who operated from her home, manufactured nearly 3.5 million fake coupons between 2017 and 2019, using specialized printers and materials to duplicate store offers with inflated values. Through online sales and social media, she allegedly marketed them to accomplices who used the bogus coupons to obtain free or deeply discounted merchandise from retail outlets.

Court filings estimate the scheme caused more than $20 million in losses to merchants. Hedden’s operation was uncovered in 2019 when federal agents executed a search warrant at her residence, seizing printing equipment, paperwork, and large caches of fraudulent coupons.

She now faces significant prison time and restitution penalties under federal fraud statutes.

Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Nevada