A 31-year-old man from Alhambra, California, was arraigned yesterday in Waterford on accusations that he helped run a multi-state scheme that drained balances from Meijer gift cards sold in Michigan. A judge ordered him held on a $500,000 cash or surety bond with travel restrictions, and he is scheduled to return to court next Tuesday, March 31, for a probable-cause conference.
Prosecutors identified the defendant as Sinjuan Song. He is charged with one count of conducting a criminal enterprise, a 20-year felony, and two counts of possession of a fraudulent financial transaction device, each a four-year felony, as reported by ClickOnDetroit. Song was also ordered to surrender his passport and is barred from leaving Oakland County while the case is pending, according to the outlet.
How investigators say the scheme worked
State prosecutors say the operation started with thieves stealing unsold Meijer gift cards from stores, then carefully opening them to expose the hidden redemption numbers. The cards were then resealed so they would look untouched and slipped back onto the racks. Investigators allege that software was used to monitor when those cards were loaded with money, at which point the thieves quickly drained the balances before the legitimate buyers ever had a chance to swipe them, according to the Michigan Attorney General's Office.
Related arrests and seized evidence
The Waterford arraignment comes on the heels of a March 2025 takedown in which authorities arrested two men and seized more than 3,000 gift cards after a U.S. Postal Inspection Service agent flagged a suspicious package, local reporting shows. That earlier sweep identified Meijer locations in White Lake, Waterford, Auburn Hills, Southgate, Allen Park and Taylor as stores where altered cards were allegedly returned to the shelves, CBS Detroit reported.
Officials say the current case was led by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in partnership with the Attorney General’s FORCE Team and the Michigan State Police as part of a broader crackdown on organized retail crime. The Attorney General’s office has described the FORCE Team as a first-in-the-nation unit that embeds prosecutors and investigators to focus on groups that repackage or launder stolen goods and balances, according to the state press release.
Attorney General Dana Nessel previously released an informational video warning Michiganders about this type of gift card scam and sharing tips on how to spot tampering, ClickOnDetroit noted. Consumers are urged to check cards for scratches, lifted or replaced security seals, and other signs of tampering, and to buy cards at the register or directly from a cashier instead of from open racks.
Under Michigan law, conducting a criminal enterprise is treated as a 20-year felony, and possession of a fraudulent or altered financial transaction device carries a maximum penalty of about four years, according to state sentencing resources. Those statutory maximums are reflected in the Michigan Courts' felony sentencing guidance.
Song remains presumed innocent while the case plays out. Next Tuesday’s probable-cause hearing will be one of the first formal chances for prosecutors to outline their evidence in open court and to clarify how wide they believe the alleged ring actually stretched. This story will be updated as new filings and court proceedings bring additional details to light.
