Immigration authorities apprehended several Chinese individuals accused of illegally immigrating and exploiting elderly residents in New York, including one suspect charged with defrauding a senior out of $42,000.

Federal agents arrested Jian Chen on July 8, as he allegedly devised a plot to steal the substantial amount from a 63-year-old retiree in the village of Potsdam, located near the St. Lawrence River in northern New York, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

He later asked the elderly woman to meet in her town and hand over an additional $98,000.

“It takes a truly unscrupulous person to target the most vulnerable members of our community by trying to cheat them out of their savings,” stated Joseph Freden, Deputy Field Office Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations.

“Scam artist” Rihui Yan was arrested in Massena after he allegedly tried to defraud an senior couple out of $20,000 of their savings. He is also wanted in Wyoming County for a similar crime.

“We remain committed to the arrest and removal of aliens who undermine the safety of our communities and the integrity of our laws,” said Freden.

ICE also arrested Chinese illegal immigrant Hui Chen last October in Buffalo after getting tipped off by the Ticonderoga Police Department to his alleged fraud scheme. Chen was charged with grand larceny and conspiracy after attempting to steal $40,000 from an elderly New Yorker.

“We will never stand idly by while bad actors – in this case, illegally present Chinese nationals – target innocent New Yorkers for their own selfish gain,” said Homeland Security Investigations Buffalo Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan.

“Every day, we are unwaveringly committed to protecting our neighborhoods and individuals’ livelihoods,” said Keegan.

Under the Biden administration, thousands of Chinese illegal immigrants flooded across the southern border and were released into the US. The Trump administration has since launched a mass deportation effort — with particular focus on the “worst of the worst” criminals.