ALBANY — A Colonie male pleaded responsible as element of a federal investigation into a extensive-ranging theft scheme that qualified residence improvement retailers together the East Coastline.
Wu Feng Zhang, a Chinese countrywide, admitted Thursday to transporting stolen merchandise throughout point out traces. Zhang was a prolific thief, according to court documents, at times hitting the similar Lowe’s various occasions in a working day.
In sum, Zhang stole virtually $300,000 in products from Lowe’s and other suppliers more than a about two-year interval.
The scheme was not Zhang’s very first endeavor at fraud. Because 1999 he was convicted in 3 other fraud strategies, together with a 2011 conviction in Florida for making use of a skimming system.
The modern thefts started as early as January 2021, in accordance to transactions on a credit history card linked to Zhang.
Federal authorities started investigating the sample of thefts from retail suppliers in New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida in June 2022. They had been finally ready to get hold of warrants for Zhang’s mobile phone as properly as area a tracking unit on a van he owned. They think he was also dependable for thefts in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Missouri.
He used two different strategies to attain the stolen goods, in accordance to the complaint. In a single, Zhang would travel to Lowe’s shops up and down the East Coastline. He would load a cart with household enhancement merchandise and put the a lot more costly merchandise on the bottom of his cart and more cost-effective products on top. Zhang would only have the cheaper items scanned. He would then demonstrate a receipt for the purchased things to a Lowe’s staff examining carts at the store’s exit.
In a second scam, he had help.
At least two employees of the Lowe’s retail outlet in Colonie admitted to accepting funds from Zhang in trade for not ringing up all of his things when he came to their sign up. Federal authorities obtained text messages that showed Zhang would set up to be at the retail outlet though all those personnel worked.
A single girl allowed Zhang to depart the retailer without having spending for all of his objects at least 100 instances above a 10-thirty day period interval, commencing in January 2022. In trade, Zhang would go away amongst $100 and $300 wrapped in a paper towel in a trash can or near her sign-up, the lady explained to law enforcement.
A Pennsylvania Point out Trooper just about stumbled on Zhang’s plan after a minor targeted visitors accident previous December. The trooper discovered that Zhang’s van and trailer were crammed with drinking water heaters from shops in other states. When the trooper requested Zhang why he experienced the heaters, Zhang told him it was cheaper to obtain them in other states.
Months afterwards, federal authorities shut in. Zhang was arrested on Jan. 11, 2023 immediately after authorities executed a research warrant on his residence. Within they found additional than $95,000 in roofing goods, appliances, developing components and resources. Yet another $196,775 in stolen merchandise could not be located.
While the criticism versus Zhang did not explicitly say what he was executing with the stolen goods, he did have a construction organization registered at his home address.
As component of his plea deal, he agreed to pay $296,881 in restitution. Zhang faces up to 10 yrs in jail at sentencing on Dec. 15.