Chinese National Pleads Guilty to Interstate Transportation of Stolen Property

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Wu Feng Zhang, age 54, a citizen of China residing in the Town of Colonie, New York, pled guilty today to 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.

Zheng admitted that between June and December 2022, he 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 and found about $100,000 in merchandise stolen from home improvement and other stores.

At sentencing on December 15, 2023, before Chief United States District Judge Brenda K. Sannes, Zhang faces a maximum term 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.

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