Ni Ni Chang, Wire Fraud, Maine 2021

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Windham Woman Sentenced for Fraud Scheme

A Windham woman has been sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay $65,524.94 in restitution for her role in a brazen scheme to defraud Taiwanese exchange students studying in Maine.

Ni Ni Chang, 51, was sentenced in federal court for two counts of wire fraud. She had previously waived indictment and pleaded guilty to the charges on January 14, 2021.

According to court records, Chang hosted two Taiwanese exchange students at the University of Southern Maine and Windham Christian Academy between September 2016 and December 2019. She falsely represented the cost of tuition and other educational expenses to the families of these students, pocketing the difference between the actual costs and the wrongfully inflated costs.

At sentencing, Chang acknowledged that her actions had been driven by greed. The victims, who attended the sentencing proceeding remotely from Taiwan, expressed their gratitude to the American judicial system for helping their family obtain justice.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service. Chang’s scheme was a stark reminder of the importance of vigilance in protecting vulnerable individuals from financial exploitation.

With her sentence, justice has been served, and the victims can finally begin to heal from the financial and emotional trauma inflicted upon them by Chang’s actions.

As a community, we must remain vigilant in rooting out such schemes and holding perpetrators accountable for their crimes. Only through collective action can we ensure that those who seek to exploit and deceive are brought to justice.