Law enforcement officials in Santa Ana, California, have arrested six residents of Orange County on charges related to identity theft and fraud. The arrests stem from three indictments returned by a federal grand jury, accusing the defendants of using stolen identities to defraud California's unemployment insurance system and apply for lines of credit.
Seven individuals are named across the three indictments. Those apprehended are scheduled for arraignment in United States District Court in Santa Ana. The first indictment involves Tien Vo, Crystal Nguyen (currently a fugitive), Thao Nguyen, and Michelle Strange. They face multiple counts of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, accused of obtaining debit cards through fraudulent unemployment insurance applications between May 2020 and January 2022.
The second indictment targets Chien Khang Bui, Nangialey Nick Wardak, and Mandy Lynn McGrew. They allegedly used stolen identities to secure home equity lines of credit without the victims' consent from February 2020 to March 2022. Bui faces additional charges for using stolen identities to obtain COVID-19 jobless benefits.
“These indictments allege an organized criminal campaign of identity theft targeting banks, California’s unemployment insurance program, and homeowners alike,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada.
Akil Davis from the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office praised the investigation led by the FBI’s Orange County Asian Organized Crime Task Force: “Through their hard work and dedication, we were able to dismantle an organization responsible for causing significant financial harm.”
A third indictment against Bui includes charges related to methamphetamine distribution and unlawful possession of firearms due to his prior felony convictions.
If convicted on all counts, defendants could face severe penalties including up to 30 years for each bank fraud-related charge and life imprisonment for methamphetamine distribution.
The cases are under investigation by several agencies including the FBI's task force comprising local police departments and state justice offices. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Y. Fu and Melissa S. Rabbani are prosecuting these cases.
In response to pandemic-related frauds, the Department of Justice established a COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force in May 2021 with Strike Force Teams created in September 2022 focused on large-scale pandemic relief fraud.
Information about suspected COVID-19 fraud can be reported via DOJ's National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline or online complaint form.
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