Chinese Citizen Charged with Interstate Transportation of Stolen Property

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Wu Feng Zhang, age 53, a Chinese citizen residing in the Town of Colonie, New York, has been charged by criminal complaint for transporting stolen property across state lines.

United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement.

The criminal complaint alleges that between June and December 2022, Zhang stole merchandise from home improvement stores in states including Pennsylvania, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and New York, and transported those stolen items to his residence in Colonie.  On January 11, 2023, HSI searched his residence in Colonie and found more than $100,000 in merchandise stolen from home improvement and other stores. The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

Zhang appeared on January 12, 2023, in Albany, before United States Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Stewart, and was ordered detained pending trial.

HSI, with assistance from the Colonie Police Department, the Albany County Sheriff’s Office, and the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office, is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Wentworth-Ping is prosecuting the case.