United States v. Michael Malekzadeh and Bethany Mockerman

On March 20, 2025, the former owner and former chief financial officer of Zadeh Kicks LLC, a now-defunct Oregon corporation that sold limited edition and collectible sneakers online, pleaded guilty for perpetrating a fraud scheme that cost customers more than $65 million in unfulfilled orders and defrauded financial institutions out of more than $15 million.

Former owner Michael Malekzadeh pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiring to commit bank fraud.  Former chief financial officer Bethany Mockerman pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit bank fraud.

According to court documents, Malekzadeh started his business in 2013 by purchasing limited edition and collectible sneakers to resell online. Beginning as early as January 2020, Zadeh Kicks began offering preorders of sneakers before their public release dates, allowing Malekzadeh to collect money upfront before fulfilling orders. Malekzadeh advertised, sold, and collected payments from customers for preorders knowing he could not satisfy all orders placed. By April 2022, Malekzadeh owed customers more than $65 million in undelivered sneakers.

In her role as chief financial officer at Zadeh Kicks, Mockerman conspired with Malekzadeh to provide false and altered financial information to numerous financial institutions—including providing altered bank statements—on more than 15 bank loan applications. Together, Mockerman and Malekzadeh received more than $15 million in loans from these applications.

During the investigation, agents seized millions of dollars in cash and luxury goods that Malekzadeh acquired with the proceeds of his fraud, including luxury watches, jewelry and hundreds of handbags. Additionally, almost $7.5 million was seized from the sale of Malekzadeh’s residence in Eugene, his watches, and luxury cars manufactured by Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche.

Malekzadeh faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release for wire fraud, and a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, a $1,000,000 fine and five years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Mockerman faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, a $1,000,000 fine and five years of supervised release. Malekzadeh will be sentenced on September 9, 2025, and Mockerman will be sentenced on August 26, 2025, before a U.S. District Judge.

As part of their plea agreements, Malekzadeh and Mockerman have agreed to pay restitution in full to their victims and, if needed, forfeit any criminally derived proceeds and property used to facilitate their crimes identified by the government prior to sentencing.

Notice for Potential Victims

The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon and the investigating agency, the FBI, are seeking information from those who may be victims of the Defendants’ crimes.

If you believe you are a victim, please fill out this questionnaire detailing how Defendants’ actions have impacted you. Please read and follow the instructions on the form and submit it no later than August 27, 2025. Email your submission to USAOR.ZadehKicks@usdoj.gov with “US v Malekzadeh” in the Subject Line. We may be unable to accept late submissions.

Please note, this is not a restitution request form and does not serve to document specific financial losses nor will it be used to assess possible reimbursement. Such a form is available at the FBI's website: https://forms.fbi.gov/victims/seeking-victim-information-in-zadeh-kicks-investigation/.

All responses are voluntary, but complete submissions will be useful in identifying respondents as potential victims and supplying the Court with the information necessary for sentencing. It is requested that respondents submit their statements via email as indicated in the questionnaires. Based on the information submitted, respondents may be contacted by law enforcement agencies and asked to provide additional information.

This Office cannot act as your attorney or provide you with legal advice. However, you may seek the advice of an attorney with respect to this or other related legal matters.

Victims’ Rights

Charges in this case have been filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. A copy of the charging document, called an Information, can be accessed via the link below. If you are determined by the government to be a victim of any of the offenses outlined in the Information, you are entitled to the following rights, according to the Crime Victims' Rights Act, Title 18 United States Code section 3771:  (1) The right to be reasonably protected from the accused; (2) The right to reasonable, accurate, and timely notice of any public court proceeding, or any parole proceeding, involving the crime or of any release or escape of the accused; (3) The right not to be excluded from any such public court proceeding, unless the court, after receiving clear and convincing evidence, determines that testimony by the victim would be materially altered if the victim heard other testimony at that proceeding; (4) The right to be reasonably heard at any public proceeding in the district court involving release, plea, sentencing, or any parole proceeding; (5) The reasonable right to confer with the attorney for the Government in the case; (6) The right to full and timely restitution as provided in law; (7) The right to proceedings free from unreasonable delay; (8) The right to be treated with fairness and with respect for the victim's dignity and privacy; (9) The right to be informed in a timely manner of any plea bargain or deferred prosecution agreement; and (10) The right to be informed of the rights under this section and the services described in section 503(c) of the Victims' Rights and Restitution Act of 1990 (34 U.S.C. 20141(c)) and provided contact information for the Office of the Victims' Rights Ombudsman of the Department of Justice.

Significant Events:

*Trials are often re-set multiple times.