The New York man made purchases through a digital mobile-wallet system that mimicked Apple Pay and used one-time tokenized numbers to disguise card information
Forty-three offenses, including racketeering, were dismissed against a New York man after pleading guilty to two felonies connected to a multi-county credit card fraud operation targeting Wegmans and Home Depot stores across southeastern Pennsylvania.
Zhen Ying Wu, 40, of the 100 block of Madison Street, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court Wednesday to felony counts of use of an access device without authorization and was sentenced to three years of probation by Judge Wendy Rothstein, according to court records.
Dismissed charges included two felony counts of forgery and respective conspiracy charges each, felony identity theft and conspiracy to commit identity theft, felony criminal use of a communications device, felony dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity, felony running a corrupt organization and an associated conspiracy charge, 16 misdemeanor counts of access device fraud, and respective conspiracy charges each, and misdemeanor theft and conspiracy to commit theft, according to court records.
According to the criminal complaint, detectives began reviewing suspicious activity in early January after Wegmans reported that groups of “Chinese actors” were visiting multiple stores in Montgomery, Bucks, Delaware and Chester counties on the same day, repeatedly buying $125 gift cards using stolen credit-card data.
Police said the purchases were made through a digital mobile-wallet system that mimicked Apple Pay and used one-time tokenized numbers to disguise the underlying card information.
Investigators said that Wu was among those involved.
Wu used stolen JP Morgan Chase credit-card numbers to attempt gift-card purchases at Wegmans stores on May 2 and May 3, 2025, then made additional purchases at the Montgomery Township Home Depot on May 28.
Officers stopped Wu after observing him enter the Home Depot lot in a gray Nissan Altima bearing a New Jersey registration. A search of the vehicle uncovered multiple Apple and Macy’s gift cards, as well as receipts from Dick’s Sporting Goods connected to similar activity, according to the affidavit.
JP Morgan Chase confirmed fraud on all affected accounts, the complaint states.
Detectives said at least 20 suspects have been involved in similar fraudulent gift-card purchases in Montgomery Township, with additional suspects still being identified.
Wu is banned from Home Depot in Montgomeryville, according to court records.
Wu was free on $5,000 cash bail. He was represented by Narberth attorney Michael Fienman.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
