A 41-year-old Queens man is facing felony charges in Massachusetts after police say he used a fraudulent credit card to buy $13,400 worth of rare Pokémon cards from a Raynham shop, then got caught the very next day wearing the same outfit while trying to pull off the same scheme at a card shop in New Hampshire.
Raynham Police say Chencai Xie, of Fresh Meadows, Queens, purchased five Pokémon cards from a Raynham trading card shop on August 5 using a credit card that turned out to be fraudulent, according to NBC Boston. The haul included a Magikarp worth $4,300, a Bubble Mew valued at $3,200, a Shining Mew worth $1,450, a Jolteon V worth $1,300, and a Blastoise valued at $1,250. Surveillance video from the shop showed the suspect wearing a black hat, a black t-shirt featuring a dog, and a black cross-body bag.
The very next day, a card shop in Manchester, New Hampshire recognized the same man attempting to buy more Pokémon cards, according to the same report. The Manchester shop had seen a social media warning the Raynham store posted about the fraudulent transaction, complete with surveillance imagery of the suspect, and the shop alerted Raynham Police on August 6, as detailed by WBSM.
Same Clothes, Same Rental Car, Different State
Investigators say Xie was wearing the identical clothing from the day before and was driving the same white Mercedes-Benz used during the alleged Raynham purchase. Police identified the make, model, and registration of the vehicle, which turned out to be a rental car, per NBC Boston's reporting. Raynham Police obtained an arrest warrant out of Taunton District Court charging Xie with felony credit card fraud over $1,200 and felony larceny over $1,200.
Xie will be arraigned in Taunton District Court at a later date, according to the outlet's report. The court holds criminal jurisdiction over seven Bristol County municipalities, including Raynham, Taunton, Berkley, Dighton, Easton, Rehoboth, and Seekonk, with prosecutions handled by the Bristol County District Attorney's Office. As of Monday, the five stolen cards worth a combined $13,400 remain unrecovered, the report notes.
What Xie Is Facing Under Massachusetts Law
Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 266, Section 30, stealing property valued over $1,200 is classified as felony larceny, carrying penalties of up to five years in state prison, up to two and a half years in a house of correction, or fines up to $25,000. Separately, Chapter 266, Section 37C makes using a fraudulent or stolen credit card to obtain goods worth over $1,200 a felony carrying up to five years in state prison.
Part of a Wider Pattern Hitting Card Shops
The case fits a broader pattern of high-value trading card crimes hitting shops across the country. In January, a card shop owner in Franklin, Massachusetts reported losing $7,000 after suspects used a stolen credit card to buy high-value Pokémon cards, part of a scheme that reportedly touched shops across New England and as far as Ohio, according to CBS Boston.
Similar fraud schemes have surfaced elsewhere this year. Police in New Port Richey, Florida issued a public alert this month after suspects used counterfeit or fraudulent credit cards to buy thousands of dollars in Pokémon cards before fleeing in a sedan, as Hoodline previously reported. Physical burglaries have also spiked, including a July theft in Forest Lake, Minnesota that netted between $30,000 and $50,000 in stolen cards, and a February case in which federal prosecutors charged an alleged getaway driver under the Hobbs Act following a $116,000 armed smash-and-grab at a New York City trading shop.
Whether Xie was acting alone or as part of a larger network targeting New England card shops remains unclear, and investigators have not said when his formal arraignment will take place or whether the missing cards can still be recovered.
