PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (WTAJ) — A Pennsylvania husband and wife have been charged in federal court with running a multimillion-dollar gift chard scheme, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams announced.
According to court documents, Xuliang Hou, 32, and Yuna Lin, 30, were indicted by a grand jury for allegedly scamming victims with lies to get them to buy gift cards and provide the couple, and their co-conspirators, with the gift card numbers. The duo would then use that information to buy millions in items, including electronics, the recently unsealed indictment showed.
“The defendants, along with their co-conspirators, stand accused of swindling victims out of millions of dollars across multiple states over the course of several years,” Special Agent with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Ivan J. Arvelo said. “HSI New York remains steadfast in our commitment to thwart criminal organizations seeking to undermine the integrity of American businesses and the stability of our financial system.”
The duo now faces a potential maximum of 20 years in prison each.
The charges were filed in the Southern District of New York. The case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey W. Coyle and Benjamin M. Burkett are in charge of the prosecution.