David Deng, sporting the first real uniform he's worn in years.
In one of the most elaborate fraud schemes I’ve ever seen, David Deng recruited Chinese nationals into a fake military reserve, swindling more than eight hundred immigrants out of thousands of dollars under the pretense of assisting their odds at becoming US citizens.
For between $300 and $450, plus a $120 annual fee, Deng gave his victims fake uniforms and IDs bought from military surplus stores. The clever ruse worked well enough that Deng’s army marched in Chinese New Year parades and even appeared in Chinese newspapers photographed next to prominent members of the San Gabriel Valley community. The scam only began to backfire three years ago, when local police noticed a pattern of drivers producing fake military identification.
The kicker: Once arrested, authorities found child pornography in his home, adding a nice layer of icing to the thirteen-layer cake of fraud and counterfeiting charges. If convicted, he faces up to eleven years in state prison. [Source; Image]
