RivCo Fraud Investigation Leads To Recovery Of $2.1 Million In Gift Cards: Sheriff

PALM DESERT, CA — A 36-year-old man was arrested after deputies found him in possession of thousands of gift cards, authorities said.

Deputies launched an investigation on Monday just before noon into a report of gift card fraud at a business in Coachella Valley and identified Ruhai Li, of Alhambra, as a suspect, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

Deputies found Li in the 67000 block of E Palm Canyon Drive in Cathedral City where they took him into custody without incident. After obtaining a search warrant, deputies recovered more 9,000 fraudulent gift cards valued at over $ 2.1 million, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

Li was booked into the John Benoit Detention Center for felony forgery of access cards. He was being held on $50,000 bail.

According to jail records, Li was scheduled to appear in court at Indio Larson Justice Center on Thursday.

Authorities said the investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information about the incident was encouraged to contact Deputy Botello of the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station at 760-836-1600.