$1.25M From 2 Fraud Schemes May Result In Jail Time For Fairfax Man

FAIRFAX CITY, VA — A 31-year-old Fairfax man pleaded guilty in federal court on Wednesday for two scams that defrauded victims and retailers of approximately $1.25 million.

Between Nov. 19, 2020 and Aug. 13, 2023, Sunyu Qian took part in a scheme to con people, mostly older victims, to purchase gift cards that he then used to purchase high-value merchandise, according to court documents.

Qian and other members of a criminal organization contacted the victims across the U.S. by email or telephone and convinced them to buy gift cards from the retailers, according to court documents. The conspirators then obtained the card information and passed it along to Qian, who purchased electronics that he then sent to his co-conspirators. This scheme gave Qian approximately $1.1 million in unauthorized access.

Between April 19, 2023 and March 23, 2024, Qian engaged in another scheme in which he used fake price tags to buy large containers of baby formula, according to court documents. For example, on April 19, 2023, he scanned fake price tags for 13 ounce cans of formula priced at $4.99 a piece and then applied it to large containers that were sold for $62.99. He would then sell the formula to co-conspirators who paid him in cash. Through this scheme, Qian defrauded two retails out of at least $124,000.

The U.S. Justice Department reported that Qian pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He returns to court for sentencing on Sept. 18. He faces a potential maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.