Six Arrested In $1.4 Million Arizona Walmart Fraud Investigation Involving Shipments Through California To Vietnam

Peoria police arrested six people following a two-month investigation into an alleged fraud operation involving approximately $1.4 million in merchandise purchased using stolen credit card information from Walmart customer accounts.

The goods were shipped to Vietnam in containers, according to a Peoria Police Department statement. Investigators traced a transportation route through California, according to Arizona’s Family’s reporting on court documents.

The investigation began when a Walmart delivery driver reported delivering numerous packages addressed to different people at a single Peoria residence, police said.

Investigators identified a network allegedly using stolen payment information to order merchandise online. Peoria’s Special Investigations Unit coordinated simultaneous search warrants with assistance from SWAT teams from Peoria, Mesa, Avondale and Goodyear. Homeland Security Investigations and Walmart Loss Prevention also assisted, according to the department’s statement.

Police reported recovering approximately $25,000 in merchandise and seizing $35,000 in cash and $45,000 in gold bars.

“This massive win was thanks to the combined efforts of Peoria Police personnel, partnering agencies, and the wonderful reporting citizen,” the department wrote.

Arizona’s Family reported that investigators identified approximately 15,500 Walmart.com orders involving compromised customer accounts and stolen credit and debit card information.

Citing police, Arizona’s Family reported that Walmart confirmed $57,501 in chargeback losses tied to two victims, while JPMorgan Chase identified 203 customers with $8,821 in unauthorized purchases.

The merchandise allegedly passed through two boba shops in Peoria and Tolleson before being transported to California and then shipped to Vietnam through U.S. Cargo Shipping LLC.

Investigators identified Hoài Nguyen Nguyen, 30, as the alleged organizer. Nguyen denied involvement in the crimes and told police he was an employee of the shipping company, the station reported.

The other five people arrested were Thien Tran, 42; Uy Vu Phan, 55; Minh Ngọc Nguyen, 57; Hie Xuan Le, 24; and Hailey Hang Nguyen, 26.

The station reported that the six were booked on allegations including fraudulent schemes, computer tampering, identity theft, and trafficking in stolen property. Its account of court paperwork placed the alleged fraud at about $1.23 million; the police department’s public statement gives a higher figure of about $1.4 million. The sources do not explain the difference.

“Without that delivery driver, I don’t know if it would have come across our radar,” Peoria police officer William Kennedy told Arizona’s Family. 

FOX 10 reported Oct. 22 that each suspect was being held on a $500,000 cash-only bond. 

California Globe has contacted the Peoria Police Department for additional information pertaining to the suspects’ citizenship or immigration status, Homeland Security Investigations’ role, and the specific charges the suspects are being held on.