2 days ago
Charges dropped against Florida sushi restaurant owners in alleged gift card scam
The Brief
A Rockledge couple has been cleared of charges in a cross-state gift card scam targeting a senior.
They say they unknowingly bought the cards online and had no idea they were tied to fraud.
The dismissed case has hurt their reputation, and they're asking the community for a second chance.
ROCKLEDGE, Fla. - A Florida couple who owns a popular sushi restaurant is no longer facing charges in connection to a nationwide gift card scam targeting senior citizens.
What we know
Florida couple Mei Dong and Dongdong Ye, owners of a sushi restaurant in Rockledge, are no longer facing criminal charges in a Wisconsin-based gift card scam.
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Prosecutors dropped the case this week after previously accusing them of using gift cards tied to the scam of a 76-year-old man who lost thousands. The couple admits to using the cards but claims they were unaware of their fraudulent origins.
What we don't know
Authorities have not publicly explained why charges were dismissed or if the original seller of the discounted gift cards has been identified or charged. It's also unclear whether the investigation will continue in another direction or if other individuals may be implicated.
The backstory
Investigators alleged that the elderly victim was tricked by a pop-up scam prompting him to buy $4,300 in gift cards and send a $10,000 wire transfer.
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Police tracked some of the gift cards to purchases made at a Lowe's on Florida's Space Coast and connected the transactions to Dong and Ye through surveillance footage.
The Source
This story was written based on information shared by a police report filed on the Brevard County Clerk's website, criminal investigators in Wisconsin, and Mei Dong and her husband, Dongdong Ye.
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