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United States of America v. Kar Kee “Steven†Cheung; Qian Guo; Chongming “Ming†Wang; Jiaozhu “Yanny†Yan
Date: 03-17-2025
Case Number:
Judge: Stephen V. Wilson
Court: The United States District Court for the Central District of California (Los Angeles County)
Plaintiff's Attorney: The United States Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles
Defendant's Attorney:
Click Here For The Best Lòs Angeles, California Criminal Defense Lawyer Directory
Click Here For The Best Lòs Angeles, California Criminal Defense Lawyer Directory
Description:
Four Chinese Nationals Sentenced to Federal Prison in Scheme Targeting Hundreds of U.S. Consumers and Multiple U.S. Retailers
Four Chinese nationals were indicted for their participation in a complex scheme that involved the theft of hundreds of identities to defraud multiple domestic retailers out of at least $1.2 million.
A fifth co-conspirator was previously sentenced to more than four years in prison, and a sixth is awaiting sentencing following a guilty plea.
As part of the scheme, these six defendants stole the victims' identities – including their Social Security numbers, dates of birth and home addresses – and used that information to make fake driver's licenses that were used to access credit in the victims' names at large national retailers, including Ulta Beauty, Sephora, Nordstrom, Macy's, Kohl's, Williams-Sonoma, Dillard's, and Saks Fifth Avenue.
The four defendants, all Chinese nationals who entered the country under false pretenses, were sentenced today by United States District Judge Stephen V. Wilson. All four pleaded guilty on January 6.
Previously in this case, Sizhen "Rachel†Liu, 35, also a Chinese national and a resident of Chino Hills, was sentenced on January 6 to 50 months in federal prison for one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and one count of access device fraud in excess of $1,000.
The sixth defendant in the case, Hyun Woo "Scott†Jung, 30, of Ontario, pleaded guilty on February 10 to one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and one count of possession with intent to use unlawfully five or more false identification documents. Jung is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Wilson on May 5.
The ongoing investigation in this matter is being conducted by the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service. The DSS Los Angeles Field Office has created a tipline to solicit information confidentially from sources with information about this scheme. Security and loss prevention personnel from large national retailers, particularly those identified above, are encouraged to contact the DSS LA Retail Fraud Tipline if they have information about Los Angeles-area transactions closely matching this scheme. Suspects using fake driver's licenses as part of this scheme may also be opening retail-branded credit accounts in the victims' names.
During this investigation, DSS has received substantial assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI, with additional support coming from the Alhambra Police Department, the Arcadia Police Department, and the Bel Air, Maryland Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Kim Meyer of the Violent and Organized Crime Section prosecuted this case.
Los Angeles, California criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendants charged with Scheme Targeting Hundreds of U.S. Consumers and Multiple U.S. Retailers
Four Chinese Nationals Sentenced to Federal Prison in Scheme Targeting Hundreds of U.S. Consumers and Multiple U.S. Retailers
Four Chinese nationals were indicted for their participation in a complex scheme that involved the theft of hundreds of identities to defraud multiple domestic retailers out of at least $1.2 million.
A fifth co-conspirator was previously sentenced to more than four years in prison, and a sixth is awaiting sentencing following a guilty plea.
As part of the scheme, these six defendants stole the victims' identities – including their Social Security numbers, dates of birth and home addresses – and used that information to make fake driver's licenses that were used to access credit in the victims' names at large national retailers, including Ulta Beauty, Sephora, Nordstrom, Macy's, Kohl's, Williams-Sonoma, Dillard's, and Saks Fifth Avenue.
The four defendants, all Chinese nationals who entered the country under false pretenses, were sentenced today by United States District Judge Stephen V. Wilson. All four pleaded guilty on January 6.
Previously in this case, Sizhen "Rachel†Liu, 35, also a Chinese national and a resident of Chino Hills, was sentenced on January 6 to 50 months in federal prison for one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and one count of access device fraud in excess of $1,000.
The sixth defendant in the case, Hyun Woo "Scott†Jung, 30, of Ontario, pleaded guilty on February 10 to one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and one count of possession with intent to use unlawfully five or more false identification documents. Jung is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Wilson on May 5.
The ongoing investigation in this matter is being conducted by the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service. The DSS Los Angeles Field Office has created a tipline to solicit information confidentially from sources with information about this scheme. Security and loss prevention personnel from large national retailers, particularly those identified above, are encouraged to contact the DSS LA Retail Fraud Tipline if they have information about Los Angeles-area transactions closely matching this scheme. Suspects using fake driver's licenses as part of this scheme may also be opening retail-branded credit accounts in the victims' names.
During this investigation, DSS has received substantial assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI, with additional support coming from the Alhambra Police Department, the Arcadia Police Department, and the Bel Air, Maryland Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Kim Meyer of the Violent and Organized Crime Section prosecuted this case.
Outcome:
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments:
About This Case
What was the outcome of United States of America v. Kar Kee “Steven†...?
The outcome was:
Which court heard United States of America v. Kar Kee “Steven†...?
This case was heard in The United States District Court for the Central District of California (Los Angeles County), CA. The presiding judge was Stephen V. Wilson.
Who were the attorneys in United States of America v. Kar Kee “Steven†...?
Plaintiff's attorney: The United States Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles. Defendant's attorney: Click Here For The Best Lòs Angeles, California Criminal Defense Lawyer Directory.
When was United States of America v. Kar Kee “Steven†... decided?
This case was decided on March 17, 2025.