A Texas man, 33 years old, was apprehended in Ocala Target while attempting to place thousands of stolen gift cards on store shelves in order to deceive customers. He has now entered a guilty plea to federal charges and could potentially be sentenced to up to ten years in prison.
On Tuesday, December 17, U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg made an announcement regarding the guilty plea of Donghui Liao for the possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices, specifically gift cards. As per the plea agreement, Liao was found to be part of an organized scheme that involved the theft of gift cards from various Target locations.
The scheme operated by Liao and his accomplices followed a specific structure. They would steal gift cards, acquire the account information from the back of these cards, carefully reseal them in their original packaging, and then strategically place them back on the shelves of various store locations. Unsuspecting customers would purchase these gift cards, loading them with a desired amount of money. However, unbeknownst to the customers, the scammers would cleverly gain access to these funds.
On October 17, 2023, at the Target store on 2000 SW College Road in Ocala, an officer from the Ocala Police Department witnessed a man, later identified as Liao, taking multiple gift cards out of a black shoulder bag. Liao proceeded to place the gift cards on the store’s gift card display.
As the officer watched, Liao discreetly took gift cards off the shelves and hid them in his bag before leaving the store.
Upon inspecting the gift card display, it was discovered that a staggering 71 of the gift cards had unmistakable indications of tampering and counterfeiting.
Law enforcement officials apprehended Liao in the store’s parking lot and proceeded to conduct a thorough search of his vehicle. To their surprise, they discovered a staggering total of 6,032 more stolen gift cards concealed within the vehicle.
If the customers had bought and activated the gift cards in Liao’s vehicle, their combined value would have been almost $1.9 million.
Liao, who was apprehended, is currently being held in Marion County Jail while he awaits his sentencing. If convicted, he could potentially face up to 10 years in federal prison.
The Ocala Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations conducted an investigation into this case. Throughout the investigation, law enforcement officials reviewed surveillance footage from various Target stores in Ohio, Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida. The footage revealed that Liao had executed the same gift card fraud scheme at these locations.
Marion County Court records have not yet scheduled a sentencing hearing for Liao.