Chinese National Found Guilty in Gift Card Fraud of More Than $2 Million

A Chinese national has been found guilty in federal court in Albany, New York, of conspiring to launder money through a scheme in which he redeemed more than $2 million in gift cards purchased by fraud victims.

Wang Jun, 63, a lawful U.S. permanent resident, redeemed about $2.29 million in Walmart and Sam’s Club stores in Florida between June 2019 and June 2021, after receiving card information from coconspirators overseas, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York announced on Feb. 18.

Wang, indicted in September 2024 on one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, is scheduled to be sentenced on June 16. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $500,000, and three years of supervised release.

“Wang was a knowing and essential player in a calculated, international scheme that preyed on victims, including the elderly, throughout the United States,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III, for the Northern District of New York, said in a statement.

“We will tirelessly pursue and hold accountable individuals involved in every level of these fraud schemes. There is no safe harbor for those who profit from exploiting vulnerable Americans.”

According to a court document filed by prosecutors in December 2025, the scheme targeted victims who through telephone fraud schemes were duped into purchasing gift cards and provided the card numbers and PINs to fraudsters, who then passed the information on to Wang.

During a two-year period, Wang went to a total of 140 Walmart and Sam’s Club stores in Orlando and surrounding areas.

To avoid raising suspicions and conceal the volume of his gift card redemptions, Wang “often redeemed gift cards to buy new gift cards at multiple registers in the same store on the same day” and “regularly visited multiple Walmart/Sam’s Club stores on the same day to do such transactions,” according to the court document.

“Sometimes, the defendant spent hours on the same day going from store to store to redeem gift cards, often redeeming gift cards within minutes of when they were purchased out of state by fraud victims,” the court document reads.

Judge Mae Avila D’Agostino of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, in a memorandum decision and order issued on Feb. 12, detailed how several victims were defrauded.

One of the victims, identified only as “C.W.,” received a call in June 2019 from someone who told her that her computer had a problem and that she needed to buy gift cards to resolve the issue. The victim then bought a $500 gift card and gave the card’s information to the caller.

Another victim, identified only as “A.M.,” after being duped by an online babysitting job offer, sent an alleged couple $1,300 in gift card information in June 2019.

In September 2020, a victim identified as “Y.M.” purchased gift cards after a caller claimed that blood and drugs had been found in a car rented in her name.

Prosecutors said that a secretly recorded conversation between Wang and an FBI agent showed the defendant was aware of the fraud scheme, as he made remarks such as “The only loser is the lady,” “We all know. Easy to know. Only this lady lost $1,000,” and “Other than this lady, everybody’s happy,” according to the judge’s ruling.

Wang also admitted to the FBI agent that he “was sent information from someone in China with gift card numbers and he would go to stores like Walmart in the United States,” according to the judge’s memorandum.

Prosecutors also found evidence that Wang did not work alone in the United States. According to the judge’s ruling, Wang instructed a contact on “how to redeem gift cards at Walmart” and described his activity to a recruit as “daily work like a regular job.”

“Defendant’s conduct is sufficient for the Court to find beyond a reasonable doubt that he conspired to launder monetary instruments, even if the evidence is circumstantial,” the judge wrote in her ruling.

“Mr. Wang was part of an international scheme that stole millions from hardworking Americans across the country and right here at home,” Craig L. Tremaroli, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Albany Field Office, said in a statement.

In response to an email inquiry from The Epoch Times on Feb. 20, Wang’s attorney, Nicolas Hurtado, stated, “Mr. Wang maintains his innocence, and the conviction will be appealed.”