A Chinese national, Huachun Zheng, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison in the United States for his involvement in an identity theft and vehicle fraud scheme related to luxury cars. Zheng, also known as “Ri Yuan,” participated in a scheme where stolen personal and financial information, along with fake or stolen identity cards, were used to obtain loans for high-end vehicles from a dealership in Greenwich. The group then attempted to resell these vehicles in New York.
Zheng used a stolen identity to secure financing of $94,742.73 to purchase a 2019 Porsche Panamera from the Greenwich dealership in September 2022. However, the fraud was discovered before the vehicle could be resold, leading to its repossession by the dealership. Additionally, Zheng’s associates also fraudulently obtained financing to buy more vehicles from the same dealership.
Further investigations revealed that Zheng and his accomplices engaged in other fraudulent activities using stolen identity information. Zheng was arrested in September 2022 in Nassau County, New York, for his involvement in a fraudulent cheque scheme to purchase jewelry. At the time of his arrest, he was driving a Maserati bought from a dealership in Jamaica, New York, registered under the same identity theft victim used for the Porsche financing.
Zheng, who lacked legal status in the US, has been in custody since his arrest in January 2025. He pleaded guilty in January 2026 to charges of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, as well as aggravated identity theft. Following his prison term, Zheng will undergo immigration proceedings.
