Great Lakes Wire

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced the arrest of two Chinese nationals, Guangji Zhang and Huachao Sun, on March 5 in connection with an alleged gift card scam targeting Meijer stores in Metro Detroit. The suspects face charges of Conducting a Criminal Enterprise and Possession of a Fraudulent or Altered Transaction Device. They were arraigned on March 7 in the 51st District Court.

The alleged scheme involved stealing empty gift cards from retail stores, tampering with them to record redemption numbers, and returning them to the store shelves. Once activated by unsuspecting customers, the scammers reportedly transferred the funds to another account.

The investigation began when a United States Postal Inspection Service agent identified a suspicious package containing over 1,500 gift cards addressed to the defendants at a Dearborn hotel. Surveillance revealed visits to several Meijer locations where altered cards were placed back into stock. Upon their arrest, authorities seized more than 3,000 gift cards from their possession.

Attorney General Nessel stated: “Sophisticated fraud schemes undermine consumer trust and can cause significant financial harm, and I am proud of my FORCE Team for their efforts to shut down these operations and hold bad actors accountable.” She advised consumers to check for signs of tampering when purchasing gift cards.

Zhang and Sun are scheduled for a probable cause conference on March 18. The case is part of efforts by Nessel's FORCE Team and Organized Retail Crime Unit established in January 2023 to combat organized retail crime alongside federal partners like the FBI’s Detroit Fraud and Financial Crimes Task Force.

The FORCE Team collaborates with retailers such as Sam’s Club/Walmart, Meijer, Target, Home Depot, TJ Maxx, Rite-Aid, Lululemon, Ulta Beauty, Amazon, and Lowe’s in its investigations.

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Please note: For all criminal proceedings, a criminal charge is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The Department does not provide booking photos.