Texan pleads guilty in identity theft case

BANGOR – An Austin, Texas, man pleaded guilty Wednesday for his part in a conspiracy to obtain instant credit using false identification, charge merchandise to those accounts, and transport it out of state for personal use and resale.

Chih Chiang Liang, 27, a permanent resident alien, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Bangor to three of the nine counts on which he was indicted in May.

A date has not been set for his sentencing on one count each of wire fraud, the use of a false Social Security number, and identity theft.

Other charges, including one count of conspiracy, are expected to be dropped at sentencing, according to Liang’s plea agreement with prosecutors.

Liang, who remains free on personal recognizance bail, faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. His prison sentence is expected to be less than 18 months, according to the federal sentencing guidelines.

He also is expected to be ordered to pay restitution to the three department store chains and two jewelry stores where the merchandise was obtained.

After serving his sentence, Liang could face deportation.

Liang traveled to Maine in October 2000 with three other Asian men. They visited retail stores in Bangor, Auburn and Portland, using fake New York driver’s licenses and Social Security numbers.

They visited the same stores, filled out similar applications and falsely stated that they worked at a New York paging firm.

After the credit was authorized, they purchased jewelry, clothing, electronics and other items, according to court documents.

Stores where they pulled the scam included Sears, Filene’s, J.C. Penney, Kay Jewelers, and Day’s Jewelers in all three cities. They attempted to obtain credit at two other jewelry stores, but were thwarted by alert employees.

Liang and another man dropped much of the merchandise off at a house in Flushing, N.Y., where Ray Chen helped them unload it, according to court documents. Chen, identified in court documents as a “car dealer in Flushing, N.Y.,” also helped them obtain the fake identifications.

One other man, Gang Xu Xie, 31, of Nevada has been charged in Maine in the incident. Xie, who drove the other three men to Maine, pleaded guilty to interstate transportation of stolen goods. He was sentenced in June in U.S. District Court in Bangor to three years probation, and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and $7,228 in restitution.

The two other men, who visited the Bangor, Portland and Auburn malls, are identified in court documents as Kenny and Jimmy Ho. They have not been charged in federal court in Maine under those names.