A judge has ruled that Tianlong Chen, a Chinese national charged in a gift card tampering scheme in Louisville, will be deported to China.
Chen and four other Chinese nationals were indicted by a Jefferson County grand jury for operating a criminal syndicate attempting to steal $1 million through altered gift cards at the St. Matthews Kroger.
Police said in October 2024, Chen was seen placing tampered gift cards on racks at the Hubbards Lane Kroger. He and a co-defendant were arrested with 658 gift cards and several cell phones; about 250 of the cards had been altered. The scheme involved stealing cards, tampering with them to obtain sensitive information, and returning them to the store to trick customers into loading money, which criminals could then divert…