A judge has ruled that Tianlong Chen, a Chinese national charged in a gift card tampering scheme in Louisville, will be deported to China.
Chen and four other Chinese nationals were indicted by a Jefferson County grand jury for operating a criminal syndicate attempting to steal $1 million through altered gift cards at the St. Matthews Kroger.
Police said in October 2024, Chen was seen placing tampered gift cards on racks at the Hubbards Lane Kroger. He and a co-defendant were arrested with 658 gift cards and several cell phones; about 250 of the cards had been altered. The scheme involved stealing cards, tampering with them to obtain sensitive information, and returning them to the store to trick customers into loading money, which criminals could then divert.
The recommended sentence for Chen was 0–6 months, but because he had already spent almost a year in custody, the judge sentenced him to time served. He will now be transferred to ICE custody and deported within 15–30 days.
At sentencing, the judge noted that Chen came from a very poor village in China, is widowed, and left two children behind before entering the U.S. illegally via Mexico. He had previously worked at a Chinese restaurant in New York before moving to Louisville.
Using a translator, Chen requested to be released quickly so he could return home to his children. The judge acknowledged that the crime was a sophisticated scheme, noting Chen’s skills and expressing hope that he would use them lawfully in the future.
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