A New York man is facing charges after police say he swindled a cancer-stricken Vietnam War veteran from Everett out of $20,000.
Hongfei Huang was arrested Friday on charges including larceny over $1,200 by false pretense, larceny over $250 from a disabled person over the age of 60, and attempted larceny from a disabled person over the age of 60, according to the Everett Police Department.
Everett officers launched an investigation after a 77-year-old Everett housing resident reported that he had been scammed out of $20,000 on Thursday night, police said. They later learned that the victim was approached a second time and asked to produce another $32,000 in cash.
An undercover operation was initiated in an attempt to lure the suspect out and after “several hours of planning and patience” Huang arrived and was arrested, according to police.
The victim was identified in a GoFundMe as Purple Heart recipient Charles Fagone.
“Fagone was recently scammed out of $20,000 of his hard-earned savings. He is also currently battling cancer,” the GoFundMe organizer wrote. “Let’s come together for this Purple Heart Veteran who sacrificed so much for this country so many years ago.”