Four Chinese nationals living in Los Angeles were sentenced to federal prison Monday for participating in a scheme that involved the theft of hundreds of identities to defraud retailers out of at least $1.2 million.
A fifth co-conspirator was previously sentenced to more than four years in prison, and a sixth is awaiting sentencing following a guilty plea, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
As part of the scheme, these six defendants stole the victims’ identities — including Social Security numbers, dates of birth and home addresses — and used the information to make fake driver’s licenses that were used to access credit in the victims’ names at large national retailers, including Ulta Beauty, Sephora, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Kohl’s, Williams-Sonoma, Dillard’s, and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Those sentenced Monday in Los Angeles federal court by U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson were all Chinese nationals who entered the country under false pretenses. Each of the four pleaded guilty to federal charges and were sentenced as follows:
— Kar Kee “Steven” Cheung, 36, of Chino Hills was sentenced to 42 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of visa fraud, one count of possession of equipment used to manufacture false identification documents, and one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud;
— Qian Guo, 37, of Chino Hills was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison for one count of possession of equipment used to manufacture false identification documents and one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud;
— Chongming “Ming” Wang, 28, of Temple City was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and one count of aiding and abetting access device fraud in excess of $1,000; and
— Jiaozhu “Yanny” Yan, 30, of Alhambra was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison for one count of visa fraud.
Previously in the case, Sizhen “Rachel” Liu, 35, also a Chinese national and a resident of Chino Hills, was sentenced to 50 months in federal prison for one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and one count of access device fraud in excess of $1,000.
The sixth defendant in the case, Hyun Woo “Scott” Jung, 30, of Ontario pleaded guilty last month to one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and one count of possession with intent to use unlawfully five or more false identification documents. Jung is scheduled to be sentenced by Wilson on May 5, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.