Ex-Planet Fitness Employee Pleads Guilty to Mail Fraud in iPad Scam

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A former Planet Fitness employee faces up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to defrauding the company out of more than $920,000 to pay for iPads he later sold.

Nicholas Selby, 31, a former systems engineer for Planet Fitness, made the plea in U.S. District Court in New Hampshire, numerous media outlets reported. The U.S. Department of Justice announced the guilty plea on Tuesday.

Documents show that from November 2013 to March 2015, Selby submitted more than 90 invoices to the Newington, N.H.-based company that falsely described the items purchased. According to the Justice Department, Selby caused Planet Fitness to pay for more than 1,800 iPads:

Selby bought the iPads from technology vendors with whom Planet Fitness maintained credit accounts. The iPads were shipped via interstate commercial mail carriers to Planet Fitness’ corporate office, where Selby took delivery and sold them to companies in Rexburg, Idaho, and Lawton, Oklahoma.

Another Planet Fitness employee helped unravel the scam after taking a call about a legitimate iPad order, leading to a discussion about Selby’s orders.

Selby, a native of Madbury, N.H., who now lives in Snellville, Ga., will be sentenced by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Joseph N. Laplante on Jan. 28.

The Newington Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case, which is federal because Selby committed the crime through the mail.