A Chinese national in the country illegally faces up to 15 years in prison after he allegedly attempted to scam an elderly Canton woman in December.
Canton Police allege Li Biao, 30, described as “an illegal foreign national,” posed as a “senior fraud investigator” with the woman’s bank in multiple phone conversations in which he convinced her to withdraw large sums from her account, MLive reports.
In conversations over four days in December, Biao allegedly arranged for a “co-worker” to pick up the cash from the 85-year-old woman’s home on two occasions, but was arrested on a third attempt to collect $25,000 after the victim’s family intervened.
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“This is a tragic example of elder exploitation financial abuse, with the suspect(s) defrauding and stealing from the victim by taking advantage of her vulnerability due to age,” Canton Police Support Services Capt. Joseph Bialy said in a statement cited by The Detroit News.
The woman’s family contacted police after she made arrangements with Baio to collect $25,000 on Dec. 17, and officers arrested Baio at the woman’s home that day.
Biao was arraigned in 36th District Court by Magistrate William Burton on a charge of fraudulent false pretenses, a 15-year felony, and a two-year felony count of assaulting, resisting, or obstructing an officer.
Police told The News they suspect others were involved with the scam, and the investigation continues.
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“It’s a multi-jurisdictional investigation with our federal partners and we believe the scope of the investigation goes beyond the person that we have in custody,” Bialy said.
Canton Police are unsure when Biao entered the country. Burton set his bond at $100,000.
The Wayne County Sheriff Inmate Inquiry system shows Biao remains incarcerated at the adult detention facility he was booked into on Dec. 21. His next court date is scheduled for Jan. 10.
“We encourage family members, friends and caregivers of the elderly to watch out for warning signs that can include a sudden change in financial habits, missing funds, unexplained large withdrawals, new beneficiaries on accounts, or a new individual with excessive control over an elderly person’s finances – and report any findings to their local police department,” Bialy said.
“In this case, family members contacted the policy early enough to prevent additional funds being stolen from the victim,” he said.
Other Michiganders targeted by thieves from abroad haven’t been as lucky.
Last month, Novi Police arrested Vania Herrera Valdes, a 21-year-old illegal immigrant from Chile, after officers allegedly chased her and others from a home burglary on Equestrian Trail, WJBK reports.
The arrest followed at least eight burglaries at high end homes in the area over the prior week. Authorities believe the crimes involve highly trained crews of transnational gang members who have worked together to ransack numerous luxury homes in Oakland, Wayne, and Kent counties in 2023 and 2024.
Recent targets include homes in Oakland Township, Rochester Hills, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, Novi, and other communities, with the thieves making off with millions in jewelry, cash, watches, purses and other expensive goods, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said.
The crimes involve crews of three to five from countries including Chile, Columbia, and Venezuela who use alarm system jammers, drones, tracking devices and other high-tech equipment to break into the homes virtually undetected.
Bouchard said Valdes entered into the U.S. using a Visa Waiver Program, then overstayed. The sheriff has repeatedly pointed to the VWP as a major driver of numerous thefts in the region tied to transnational gangs, and has called on federal lawmakers to crack down.
“When we’ve got 100% of the people that we’ve caught for high-end burglaries with the same MO all coming from that program, that tells me there’s a problem,” Bouchard told WJBK.
The most recent burglaries occurred just over a month after Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Victoria Valentine sentenced two of five suspected illegal immigrants involved in a home invasion in Troy over the summer.
Other illegal immigrants were busted in June for their alleged involvement in an organized retail theft ring that plundered tens of thousands of dollars in merchandise from grocery and clothing stores in Auburn Hills and Bloomfield Township.
Three Romanian women were transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody following their June 13 arrests, while another avoided apprehension.
Still other Michiganders lost their lives to illegal immigrants in 2024 in crimes some argue would have been prevented under President-elect Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
Trump has promised to prioritize illegal immigrant criminals in what’s expected to be the largest deportation effort in U.S. history following his inauguration to a second term later this month.
Data from ICE released in September shows there’s currently more than 662,000 illegal immigrants on the agency’s docket who have criminal convictions or charges pending.
Those criminals, the vast majority free to roam the U.S., include 13,099 convicted murderers, 15,811 convicted of sexual assaults, 162,231 convicted of assault, 56,533 with dangerous drug convictions, 5,797 convicted of fraud, 18,234 convicted of larceny, 14,301 convicted of burglary, 13,423 with weapons convictions 10,031 convicted of robbery, 9,461 with non-assaultive sexual convictions, 2,521 kidnappers, and 217 convicted of extortion.
Trump vowed during his campaign to “dismantle every migrant criminal network operating on American soil,” while his pick to lead ICE, former border agent Tom Homan, said the “well-targeted, planned” deportations will focus on “public safety threats and national security threats first,” NPR reports.
“You better start packing now,” Homan warned at the Republican National Convention. “’Cause you’re going home.”