3 Members Of Chinese Organized Criminal Group Arrested In Greenwich: Police

GREENWICH, CT — Police say three members of a Chinese Organized Criminal Group were arrested in Greenwich last week after they tried to fraudulently purchase multiple iPhones in the central Greenwich area.

Xiaobing Cheng, 42, Jinchai Lin, 36, and Youqiang Lei, all of Queens, NY, face numerous charges stemming from their arrests on Nov. 21.

Police said their criminal activity stretches back "over an extended period of time" in "multiple incidents" which led to the theft of goods and the identities of multiple victims being stolen.

Cheng's and Lei's charges range from violating the Corrupt Organizations and Racketeering Activity Act to payment card theft, illegal possession of a personal ID info device, possession of a scanner/re-encoder and several conspiracy charges, according to their arrest reports.

Lin faces all conspiracy charges related to identity theft, larceny, payment card theft, criminal impersonation, illegal possession of a personal ID info device, possession of a scanner/re-encoder, and putting greater than $500 on a revoked payment card, her arrest report notes.

On Nov. 21 at approximately 12:54 p.m., while conducting plainclothes surveillance of organized retail crime in the central Greenwich area, officers were alerted to a vehicle within town that is associated with Chinese organized credit card fraud, police said in arrest reports.

The arrestees conspired to use multiple credit/debit cards via a tap-to-pay method, which utilized others' personal identifying information, in an attempt to purchase multiple iPhones at a Greenwich Avenue store, police wrote in arrest reports, noting several declined transactions.

Police did not specify which store or stores were involved.

"Based on training and experience, officers recognized this pattern as consistent with tactics used by Chinese Organized Criminal Groups involved in identity theft and credit card fraud. These groups are known to utilize digital wallets to make unauthorized purchases with stolen payment card information," police added. "It should be noted that this group was here weeks prior displaying the same tactics at various high end retail and jewelry stores."

The arrestees attempted to enter a nearby getaway vehicle, police said, and they were detained for an investigation.

"On scene interview revealed conflicting and vague explanations when compared to witness and investigators' observations," police said.

Police said they established probable cause for the arrests.

The arrestees were each given $250,000 bonds and court dates of Dec. 5.