Sinjuan Song, 31, of Alhambra, California, was arraigned in Waterford on charges of allegedly conducting a large-scale gift card fraud scheme.
Song was charged with 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, on Friday (March 20).
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Song is allegedly connected to an organized retail crime group that distributed altered gift cards at Meijer locations in White Lake, Waterford, Auburn Hills, Southgate, Allen Park, and Taylor in March 2025.
Gift card fraud scams typically begin with the theft of empty, unsold gift cards from retail stores.
The cards are then tampered with to reveal their unique redemption numbers, recorded by alleged scammers, then concealed once again with an adhesive to appear as though they have not been tampered with.
The altered gift cards are then returned to their original intended retail point of sale, and the alleged scammers use computer programs to monitor when any card is activated with a balance of funds.
As soon as a shopper places a balance on the card, it is transferred to another digital account.
The gift card, when given as a gift and redeemed, is already depleted.
Attorney General Dana Nessel, who was named the inaugural attorney general strategic partner of the Gift Card Fraud Prevention Alliance, previously released a video alerting Michiganders to the gift card scam, detailing how the scam is believed to operate, and offering tips to avoid becoming a victim.
Song was given a $500,000 cash/surety bond.
He is prohibited from leaving Oakland County and must surrender his passport, among other conditions.
Song is scheduled to appear before the 51st District Court for a probable cause conference on March 31 at 2:30 p.m.
The investigation was led by the United States Postal Inspection Service in collaboration with the Attorney General’s FORCE Team and the Michigan State Police.