A man is reportedly going to jail for selling fake In-and-Out franchises and making more than $4 million
Buzzfeed, which obtained court documents regarding the case, reports that Craig Stevens said he had ambitious plans of opening up In-N-Out franchises in the Middle East. (As of now, In-N-Out is a beloved West Coast staple, with some locations in Utah and Texas - opening a franchise in the Middle East would be a long shot.) With these grandiose promises, Stevens was allegedly able to swindle over $4.27 million dollars from ten investors last year.
According to Buzzfeed, Stevens allegedly sold rights to investors for $150,000 per location, with an added $250,000 for royalties.
Most of Stevens' alleged crimes had caught up to him. Earlier this year, Stevens was charged for committing wire fraud, the Los Angeles Times reports, for sending out a fake In-N-Out licensing agreement to someone in Lebanon last year. The Los Angeles Times notes that Stevens pleaded guilty in June.
Now, the Los Angeles Times reports, Stevens has received his sentence: two years in prison, which is expected to begin this coming January, followed by three years of supervised release.
In-N-Out has publicized that it has no plans of franchising - or even going public.