A 43-year-old man accused of convincing an elderly Marion County woman to buy thousands of dollars’ worth of gold, which he allegedly intended to steal, will act as his own attorney when his case goes to trial.
Earlier this summer, an Ocala Police Department corporal, who also serves as a task force officer for Homeland Security Investigations Tampa, became involved in a criminal investigation that led to the arrest of Winter Garden resident Weikai Zhang on July 9.
According to OPD, HIS Tampa had learned about a fraud scam that was targeting a 74-year-old woman who resides in Marion County. The scammers posed as a call center and convicted the victim that her computer had a “virus,” and the scammers stated that they could “help fix it.”
“(The scammers) gained control of (the victim’s) financial information and persuaded her to liquidate her life savings into gold, which was sold through a broker and shipped,” stated OPD in a social media post.
At around 11:30 a.m. on July 9, the shipping company delivered multiple boxes to the victim’s home. HIS special agents and OPD officers soon arrived at the residence and informed the victim about the scam.
Later that afternoon, the scammers contacted the victim to verify that the packages had arrived, and they further stated that a courier was on the way to “secure the gold.” At around 3 p.m., law enforcement officers spotted a suspicious van near the victim’s neighborhood. The van was registered to Zhang, who had a suspended license, and the vehicle’s tags were expired, according to OPD.
Zhang was detained by law enforcement, and officers observed that he was “on a live call and using GPS directions to the victim’s residence when intercepted.” Officers believed that he was heading to the victim’s home to steal the packages of gold.
After being placed under arrest, Zhang was transported to Marion County Jail. He was released from jail the following day after posting a $61,000 bond.
Zhang is being charged with organized fraud of $50,000 or more (first-degree felony), improper use of a two-way communication device (third-degree felony), and driving with a suspended license – second or subsequent offense (misdemeanor).
On Tuesday, August 13, Zhang appeared in Marion County court for his arraignment. Court records show that Zhang waived his right to a lawyer, and he will defend himself when his case goes to trial in November.
A pre-trial conference will be held on Wednesday, November 6, with jury selection set to begin on Monday, November 18.