DA VANCE ANNOUNCES GUILTY PLEAS OF “EVIL SPIRITS” SCAMMERS FOR ATTEMPTING TO STEAL THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FROM MULTIPLE VICTIMS
“While these five scam artists traveled to the U.S. on tourist visas, they did not come here as visitors, but with the intent to defraud the public,” said District Attorney Vance. “The ‘evil spirits’ scam and others like it are crimes of deception – they are well-orchestrated schemes in which every actor plays a unique role. The perpetrators tend to eavesdrop on victims in public places, gleaning any shred of personal information that they can later use to gain their trust. They also prey upon the vulnerable: elderly individuals, immigrants, those with sick relatives, and people who fear karmic or spiritual retribution. I would like to commend the bravery of the victims for coming forward and reporting the crimes to law enforcement, leading to today’s felony convictions.”
As admitted in their guilty pleas and according to statements made on the record in court, on the afternoon of June 3, 2013, five Chinese nationals – two men and three women – took part in a scheme to defraud a 67-year-old woman near 2 Elizabeth Street in Manhattan. Variations of this scam, which is commonly known as the “Evil Spirits” or “Chinese Blessing” scam, have been reported across the country, from California to parts of the East Coast, including New York City and Boston, and Canada. In the most serious cases, some victims have lost up to tens of thousands of dollars.
In the present case, the victim grew suspicious, and reported the incident to police officers at the NYPD’s 5th Precinct in Chinatown. They arranged to have her place fake money and valuables into a bag, and meet the defendants near Chatham Square. The defendants attempted to distract the woman with what they claimed to be a cleansing ritual while the bag was concealed inside a different bag and handed to one of the defendants. All five defendants were immediately arrested, and the fake money and valuables were recovered.
Around 8:00 a.m. that same day, using the same scheme, the defendants stole approximately $1,000 in cash and a wedding band from an elderly Chinese woman who collected cans for a living. Those items were later recovered.
Since many of these scams follow a similar pattern, District Attorney Vance issued tips for members of the city’s immigrant communities, who are often targeted by strangers who advertise the ability to remove “evil spirits” and impart “spiritual blessings.”
Assistant District Attorney Rosemary Yu, Co-Director of the Immigrant Affairs Program, is handling the prosecution of the case, under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Thomas Wornom, Chief of the Special Prosecutions Bureau; Judy Salwen and Archana Rao, Deputy Chiefs of the Special Prosecutions Bureau; and Executive Assistant District Attorney David Szuchman, Chief of the Investigation Division.
District Attorney Vance thanked the NYPD’s 5th Precinct, the NYPD’s Organized Crime Investigations Division, the NYPD’s Manhattan Robbery Squad, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New York Field Office, and the U. S. Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection National Targeting Center for their assistance with the investigation.
Defendant Information:
HUAHUO CHEN, D.O.B. 12/16/1962
China
YAE CHEN, D.O.B. 10/5/1966
China
XIUMEI HE, D.O.B. 7/22/1973
China
JUN LIANG, D.O.B. 7/25/1968
China
JINGCHANG QUAN, D.O.B. 11/4/1968
China
Charges for all:
• Attempted Grand Larceny in the Third Degree as a Hate Crime, a class D felony, 1 count
• Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, a class E felony, 1 count