SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) – Two Chinese citizens are in custody after Walmart loss prevention employees in American Fork and Saratoga Springs alerted Utah police to a nationwide criminal organization based out of China.
Arrested were 33-year-old Shuyan Wang and 35-year-old Junliang Tang, who both arrived in the United States on December 18, 2019, with travel visas.
Shuyan Wang mugshot. (Photo: Utah County Sheriff’s Office)
Police say the pair were members of an unnamed criminal organization that would scam credit card information from people across the country, mainly targeting the elderly.
Wang and Tang are accused of using that information to buy hundreds of gift cards worth thousands of dollars at Walmarts in Utah and Salt Lake Counties as well as Walmarts across the West and Midwest.
Through Walmart’s internal investigation, Wang and Tang were seen on surveillance video using their phones to purchase thousands of dollars worth of gift cards.
The pair would then resell the stolen cards for a profit, making more than $600,000 since the scam began in October 2019.
Wang is facing 13 felony charges:
- Money Laundering, a second-degree felony
- Pattern of unlawful activity, a second-degree felony
- 11 counts of unlawful use of a financial transaction card
Junliang Tang mugshot. (Photo: Utah County Sheriff’s Office)
Tang is facing three charges:
- Money Laundering, a second-degree felony
- Pattern of unlawful activity, a second-degree felony
- Obstruction of justice, a third-degree felony
Police are asking the courts to not grant bail for either Wang or Tang as they are both believed to be flight risks.
Police say neither has any ties to the area and they fear the pair would flee back to China if released.
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