Local
Peoria investigation leads to six arrests in alleged Walmart account fraud
Police say a two-month investigation uncovered a scheme that used stolen Walmart customer account information to order $1.4 million in merchandise for shipment to Vietnam. Six people were arrested and booked into Maricopa County jail.
Six people were arrested in Peoria after police investigated an alleged operation that used stolen Walmart customer account information to buy merchandise online and ship it to Vietnam.
Peoria police said the investigation lasted two months and began after a Walmart delivery driver reported bringing multiple packages, addressed to different names, to the same home. Investigators say the group used stolen credit card information tied to customer accounts to place orders on Walmart.com. The merchandise was then sent to Vietnam in shipping containers.
The suspects were identified as Thien Tran, 42; Uy Vu Phan, 55; Minh Ngoc Nguyen, 57; Hie Xuan Le, 24; Hoài Nguyen Nguyen, 30; and Hailey Hang Nguyen, 26. All six were booked into Maricopa County jail and held on $500,000 cash-only bonds, police said.
Authorities served search warrants at the same time with SWAT teams from Peoria, Mesa, Avondale and Goodyear. Homeland Security Investigations and Walmart Loss Prevention also assisted. Investigators reported finding about $25,000 in merchandise, $35,000 in cash and $45,000 in gold bars.
Ten people were detained during the operation; four were released after being interviewed. The six arrested are accused of participating in the alleged fraud scheme.