The defendant is a Chinese national, in the United States illegally, who faces deportation proceedings.
HARRISBURG — Attorney General Michelle Henry announced that a man has been jailed up to three years for stealing gift cards from Wal-Mart stores in the Pittsburgh area and surrounding counties, then altering the cards to receive payouts.
Zhixiang Chen, a 20-year-old Chinese national, pleaded guilty Friday in Lawrence County Court to corrupt organizations and organized retail crime. As part of the 1.5-to-3-year sentence, Chen is banned from Wal-Mart stores and is facing potential deportation action.
The judge also ordered Chen to forfeit $16,143 and equipment used to commit the crimes, and pay a $25,000 fine.
“This defendant not only committed high-dollar thefts from retail stores, he also victimized consumers who bought the gift cards he had returned to store shelves after altering them for his own profit. After the gift cards were loaded with value by unsuspecting purchasers, the defendant would drain the balances leaving them with worthless cards,” Attorney General Henry said. “This conviction and prison sentence show our commitment to combating organized retail theft crimes that harm businesses and consumers.”
It is believed that Chen and his associates profited hundreds of thousands of dollars through the scheme.
Frazer Township Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations-Pittsburgh assisted the Office of Attorney General in the investigation.
Surveillance footage revealed that Chen stole many Apple gift cards from at least six Wal-Mart stores in western Pennsylvania. He then altered the cards to redirect the funds to himself before putting them back on store shelves. Customers who then purchased the altered cards would have the balance drained and, in the end, were left with value-less cards.
In some cases, Chen left the stores with the cards. In May 2024, Chen was caught trying to leave a Wal-Mart with 126 gift cards hidden inside his jacket. Authorities later found nearly 4,000 more Apple gift cards, potentially worth nearly $1 million, in his car, along with cash and equipment used to alter the cards.
This case was prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Rachel Wheeler and Senior Deputy Attorney General Heather Serrano.
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