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Rongjie He, 32, and Kaiua Chen, 27, are both facing a host of felony charges after being caught with hundreds of altered gift cards that included evidence to show this crime ring extended beyond the region and possibly across the country.
Last week Fairfax County Police officers assigned to the Springfield Town Center were flagged by security about two men who were altering gift cards and had done the same thing earlier in the day at Target in Manassas.
According to a police spokesperson, the officers found the two men stocking shelves with gift cards, leading to their apprehension.
Investigators say that the cards are suspected of being linked to an outside account which takes money from a would-be buyer and deposits it into the fraudster’s gift card account instead of the buyer’s
"A search of the suspect’s vehicle uncovered numerous altered Target gift cards and evidence of a larger fraud ring in the region and extending into states across the country," they added. "In total, officers recovered just under 1,000 altered gift cards."
He was charged with 10 felony counts of obtaining money by false pretense, credit card theft, and two counts of conspiracy to commit larceny.
Chen was charged with four felony counts of obtaining money by false pretense, nine counts of credit card theft, and two counts of conspiracy to commit larceny.
Both were taken to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, where Chen is being held without bond and He was later released.
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