California man charged in Michigan gift card fraud scheme

Myesha Johnson, The Detroit News on Mar 23, 2026

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DETROIT — A California man has been charged in connection with a major gift card fraud scheme, the Michigan Attorney General's Office said.

Sinjuan Song was arraigned Friday through the 51st District Court in Waterford on one count of conducting a criminal enterprise, a 20-year felony, and two counts of possession of a fraudulent financial transaction device, each a four-year felony.

Authorities allege the 31-year-old is allegedly connected to an organized retail crime group that distributed altered gift cards in March 2025 at Meijer locations in White Lake, Waterford, Auburn Hills, Southgate, Allen Park, and Taylor.

Song was given a $500,000 bond. He is prohibited from leaving Oakland County and must surrender his passport, among other conditions.

He is next scheduled to appear for a probable cause conference on March 31 at 2:30 p.m.

Court records did not list an attorney representing Song on Monday.

The investigation was led by the Postal Inspection Service, the state Attorney General’s Focused Organized Retail Crime Enforcement (FORCE) Team and Michigan State Police.

The FORCE Team was launched in 2023 to target groups that steal products from retailers to repackage and sell for a profit.

According to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's office, such scams typically involve empty, unsold gift cards stolen from retail stores. The cards are then altered to reveal their unique redemption numbers, recorded by scammers and concealed again with an adhesive before being returned.

Scammers use computer programs to monitor when any card is activated, and when a shopper places a balance, it is transferred into another digital account, Nessel's office said.

Nessel was named the inaugural attorney general strategic partner of the Gift Card Fraud Prevention Alliance.

“Organized crime syndicates are increasingly conducting large-scale retail fraud here in Michigan and across the country, harming not only retailers but consumers looking to purchase gifts for loved ones,” she said in the release.

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