MIAMI – It’s the kind of story that sends chills down your spine: two Chinese nationals are in hot water for a sophisticated gift card fraud scheme that has left grocery stores across South Florida reeling. According to federal prosecutors, Cao Yuan Liu, 22, and Linghan Chen, 26, have been charged with conspiracy and possession of counterfeit access devices.
The duo’s alleged modus operandi was deviously simple yet effective. They infiltrated stores in St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties, tampering with gift cards to strip them of their PIN and identification numbers before returning them to the shelves. The unsuspecting buyers who activated these compromised cards unwittingly turned themselves into Liu and Chen’s cash cows.
But the law wasn’t far behind. Surveillance footage caught Liu and Chen exiting a store in a sleek black Bentley SUV, New York plates gleaming. A subsequent search of their residence yielded more evidence of their misdeeds: gift cards that were about to meet an ignoble end down the toilet. Yet another search revealed additional cards in the same SUV.
Investigators say they’ve pinpointed at least 42 stores across Florida that have been targeted by this cunning pair. The potential for financial loss is staggering, but so is the potential sentence if Liu and Chen are convicted of these serious charges.
U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones and Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami were quick to make the announcement, underscoring the gravity of the crime. The case is under the watchful eye of the HSI Fort Pierce and Martin County Sheriff’s Office.
While an indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law, the evidence against Liu and Chen is mounting. And for those who’ve been affected by their scheme, they’re hoping justice is served swiftly and severely. For more information on this case, visit www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 25-cr-14043.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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