Chinese National Unlawfully Residing in U.S. Sentenced to Prison for Identity Theft and Vehicle Theft Scheme

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that HUACHUN ZHENG, also known as "Ri Yuan," 43, a citizen of China last residing in Queens, New York, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to 30 months of imprisonment for offenses related to a series of vehicle thefts from dealerships utilizing personal information from identity theft victims.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Zheng, who did not have legal status in the U.S, and others used stolen personal and financial information and stolen or counterfeit identity cards from multiple identity theft victims to apply for loans to purchase or lease luxury vehicles from a car dealership in Greenwich. They then transported the vehicles to New York and sought to resell them.

On September 27, 2022, Zheng, using a stolen identity, obtained $94,742.73 in financing to purchase a 2019 Porsche Panamera from the Greenwich dealership. After the fraud scheme came to light, the dealership repossessed the vehicle before it could be resold. Zheng's co-conspirators fraudulently obtained financing and purchased other vehicles from the dealership.

The investigation revealed that Zheng and his co-conspirators used stolen identity information to perpetrate other frauds. On September 10, 2022, Zheng was arrested in Nassau County, New York, in connection with a scheme in which he and others passed fraudulent checks to purchase jewelry. At the time of that arrest, Zheng was driving a Maserati that had been purchased from a dealership in Jamaica, New York, and was registered in the name of the victim whose identity Zheng used to purchase the Porsche Panamera from the Greenwich dealership later that month.

Zheng has been detained since his arrest on January 28, 2025. On January 6, 2026, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

Zheng faces immigration proceedings when he completes his prison term.

This matter has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of the Greenwich Police Department and the New York City Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elena L. Coronado.