Yinye Wang, of Roslyn, Qiuju Wu, 55, of Queens, charged with stealing millions from missing couple, feds say

A Long Island man and a Queens woman have been arrested on federal charges that they stole more than $2.8 million this summer from a couple who disappeared from their Old Brookville mansion earlier this year, authorities said Monday.

The complaint, which was unsealed in federal court in Central Islip Monday, identified the defendants as Yinye Wang, also known as "Roy Wang," 36, of Roslyn and College Point, Queens, and Qiuju Wu, 55, of Flushing, and charged them with bank fraud. Wang was arrested in California on Thursday and released on bond. Wu was arrested Thursday in Texas. She was ordered held on an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer, as she has no legal status in the United States, authorities say.

Defense attorneys for Wang and Wu could not be reached for comment. 

The complaint doesn’t identify the missing couple — they are referred to only as "Victim-1" and "Victim-2" — but the facts match the disappearance of JuanJuan Zwang and her husband, Peishuan Fan, were last seen at their Old Brookville mansion on Maria Lane on March 30. A law enforcement source who is not authorized to comment publicly about the case confirmed the victims are Zwang and Fan.

It’s unclear if the defendants allegedly knew the victims or became familiar with them through news reports about their disappearance.

Bank activity detailed

On June 29, according to federal prosecutors, the bank account belonging to one of the victims was changed from an individual account to a "joint with rights of survivorship" account. In the following days, $1 million was transferred from the bank account of "Victim-1” to Wu’s bank account, the complaint said. Then another $500,000 was transferred from the same victim’s account to Wu’s, prosecutors said. That same day, $190,000 was transferred from Wu’s account to another bank account controlled by Wu. And minutes later, prosecutors said, $700,000 was withdrawn from Wu’s bank account.

On July 2, "Victim-2”’s bank account was also changed from an individual owner to a "joint with rights of survivorship" account and $860,000 was transferred from the Victim-2 bank account to a bank account associated with "Individual-1," the complaint said. The next day, $418,500 was withdrawn from Wu’s bank account to a bank account associated with a corporate entity that was not identified in the compliant.

On July 8, $630,000 was transferred from Victim-1’s account to Wu’s account, the complaint said. Two days later, $435,000 was withdrawn in the form of a bank check from Wu’s account to a bank account associated with a corporate entity, that was not identified.

Authorities did not say how Wang and Wu know each other. The complaint and affidavit in support of their arrest warrants said they "intentionally conspire[d] to execute a scheme" to commit bank fraud. 

A spokesman for Eastern District of New York prosecutors declined to comment. 

Items recovered

The complaint said during a December 2023 screening at Los Angeles International Airport, Wang was flagged for additional screening and Transportation Security Administration officers found several cellphones, identification, credit cards and financial documents in the names of people other than Wang.

The complaint said Wang attempted to characterize several items as trash during the secondary inspection, but law enforcement officers recovered the items, which included 12 account opening documents in the names of six individuals and 17 credits cards in the names of 12 individuals.

Authorities also found "a New York State driver’s license in the name of another individual; an Oklahoma driver’s license in the name of another individual; bank statements in the names of 10 different individuals and/or businesses from six different banks; bank checks in the names of five different individuals and/or business from four different banks; a New Jersey tax refund check in the name of another individual; and various handwritten notes appearing to contain names, dates of birth, social security numbers, debit card pins, password and other bank account information," the complaint said.

It's unclear if Wang faced charges as a result.

Last year, Wang purchased his Ridge Drive home in Roslyn for $1.2 million, records show. New York State issued a tax warrant against Wang, at his College Point, Queens address, for $3,514 in 2023, records show. The warrant was released, which means it was paid or otherwise resolved on July 16, records show.

Missing persons investigation "ongoing"

John Carman, a Garden City attorney who represented the older of the two children of the missing couple, said Monday: "The sons are grateful for the efforts of law enforcement tracking down these sophisticated criminals." 

The children, a 12-year-old who's now in sixth grade and Yiwei Fan, a 20-year-old university student, have since moved back to China.

Carman said the couple are still missing.

The FBI joined the probe into their disappearance, Newsday reported in June. Nassau County Police Department spokeswoman Det. Tracey Cabey said Monday the missing persons investigation is "ongoing." 

Fan, 48, a business owner, and Zwang, 44, a stay-at-home mother, moved to the United States in 2022, Newsday has reported. They lived initially in a luxury apartment tower in Jersey City and purchased the Old Brookville mansion on Maria Lane in 2023 for $3.8 million, Newsday has reported. They paid in cash. 

Fan, who had a business in Shanghai, had been detained by authorities in China before immigrating to the United States for up to two months, Newsday has reported. It was unclear why he was detained by Chinese authorities.

The 6,000-square-foot home has been empty since the children of the missing couple went back to China, a neighbor who didn't want to be identified for privacy reasons, told a Newsday reporter who visited the property about a week ago. 

A potted plant in a shriveled state could be seen through a side window by the front door. The lawn had weeds over four feet tall. Asked about it, Carman said the next day the grass had been cut and even texted a picture of the freshly cut landscaping.

Carman also denied the property was for sale.

Newsday's Anthony M. DeStefano contributed to this story.

By Nicole Fuller

nicole.fuller@newsday.com@NicoleFuller

Nicole Fuller is Newsday's senior criminal justice reporter. She began working at Newsday in 2012 and previously covered local government.