A Chinese man who entered the U.S. illegally has been indicted by a Coshocton County grand jury on 309 felony charges related to a gift card counterfeiting scheme, according to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office.
Ming Xue, 32, of Hunan, Fujian – a province on the southeastern coast of China – faces 308 counts of counterfeiting and one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, according to Yost’s office.
A Chinese man who entered the country illegally four months ago has been indicted by a Coshocton County grand jury on 309 felony charges related to a gift-card counterfeiting scheme, AG Yost announced today.
Details: https://t.co/MO25J1UEAg pic.twitter.com/vCBsd6H9Sw— Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (@OhioAG) January 22, 2024
On December 5, 2023, deputies from the Coshocton County Sheriff’s Office who were participating in the seasonal Shop With a Cop program for area children in need at the Coshocton Walmart allegedly witnessed Xue hiding unloaded gift cards on his body.
The deputies also found hundreds of additional gift cards in Xue’s vehicle, Yost’s office notes.
Xue is suspected of participating in a scheme called “gift card draining,” which involves stealing unloaded gift cards, altering them, and placing them back into display racks in stores for consumers to purchase. When consumers purchase the altered gift cards, the scammers steal the cash placed on the cards.
Gift card draining schemes were common issues for consumers this past holiday season.
Xue, who is believed to have entered the country in September via California, does not have the required documentation to be in the U.S., according to Yost’s office.
“This man was clearly on a nefarious mission to rip off as many Ohio consumers as possible,” Yost said in a statement. “Hats off to the deputies who followed their instincts and got him off the streets before he could inflict more harm.”
Xue’s case is being prosecuted by the office of Coshocton County Prosecutor Ben Hall, who said the defendant’s 309-count indictment is “one of the largest indictments in Coshocton County history.”
Xue was arraigned Tuesday in Coshocton County Common Pleas Court.
The illegal immigrant’s case is similar to that of another in Illinois in which a Chinese national participated in a similar counterfeit gift card scheme.
In September 2023, Hongying Wang, 53, from China, admitted her involvement in a counterfeit gift card scheme directed at Target shoppers across the midwest.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Gift Cards” by LaniElderts. CC BY-ND 2.0.
