Qinbin Chen, Gift Card Fraud, Virginia 2024

Alexandria, VA – Qinbin Chen, a 29-year-old Chinese national residing in Washington, D.C., has been convicted of masterminding a massive gift card fraud scheme that preyed on elderly victims across the United States.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Qinbin Chen obtained, trafficked, used, and laundered gift cards and debit cards purchased by victims, who were mostly elderly, from across the United States. The victims were manipulated into buying Walmart gift cards by fraudsters who told them a range of lies, such as their social security numbers had been compromised, their bank accounts had been hacked, or there was an issue with their computer software. The victims sent the gift cards to fraudsters who soon transferred them to Chen. Chen employed conspirators to use the Walmart gift cards to buy other gift cards. Chen then sold those “clean” gift cards to overseas buyers.

Evidence at trial suggested that Chen trafficked about $7 million in fraudulently obtained gift cards. Chen’s bank accounts showed hundreds of thousands of dollars in incoming international wires, despite him reporting little legitimate income.

Chen faces a mandatory minimum of two years in prison and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison when sentenced on December 18. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This conviction marks the seventh defendant to be convicted as part of this investigation. Co-conspirators He Li, 45; Shouming Sun, 44; Jin Hong, 40; Yuchen Zhang, 26; Mouluan Wu, 47; and Zhizhan Chen, 26, have pleaded guilty to related charges.

The Loudoun County Sherriff’s Office also assisted in the prosecution of Chen. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Hood and Kenneth R. Simon, Jr. are prosecuting the case.

Qinbin Chen, Defendant REAL full name is Qinbin Chen, 29-year-old Chinese national residing in Washington, D.C. The exact criminal charges are conspiracy, access device fraud, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft. The city and state are Alexandria, VA. The exact date is not specified, but sentencing is set for December 18, 2024. The sentence or outcome is a mandatory minimum of two years in prison and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. The dollar amounts where applicable are $7 million in fraudulently obtained gift cards.

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