Two Californians have been indicted for counterfeiting several hundred gift cards.
A Wood County grand jury on Oct. 16 indicted co-defendants Hui Nmi Zhang, 40, and Liping Nmi Huang, 36, both of Rosemead, California, for counterfeiting, a second-degree felony; and receiving stolen property and possessing criminal tools, both fifth-degree felonies.
As part of a Northwest Ohio Interdiction Task Force, two vehicles at a motel in Toledo were under surveillance due to recent traffic patterns. Both vehicles traveled south on I-75 toward Perrysburg. Visual contact of one vehicle was lost on U.S. 20. The second vehicle, operated by Zhang, stopped in the area of Jefferson Street and Ohio 25 in Perrysburg. A probable cause search was conducted, and 568 counterfeit Home Depot gift cards were found in bundles of 20, each secured individually inside a tamper resistant envelope which are designed to allow access to a bar code for activation by ripping off a pull tab. Once a customer activated the card, the defendants could transfer the funds placed on the card, according to court documents.
The grand jury also indicted:
• Co-defendants Theresa Louise Sandlin, 24, and Joshua Michael Street, 23, both of Toledo, for theft and receiving stolen property, both fifth-degree felonies.
On Feb. 2, Sandlin drove to a Northwood restaurant to pick up an order via Uber Eats. Street, who accompanied her, entered the building to pick up the order and allegedly took an employee’s bag while there. The bag contained $779 in cash and credit cards. Both were seen on surveillance cameras using the cards at several Toledo stores.
On March 4, 2022, they arrived at the same restaurant to pick up another Uber Eats order and were recognized as the subjects who had allegedly stolen the employee’s bag in February. When confronted, Sandlin and Street fled the scene.
Sandlin also was indicted for felonious assault, a second-degree felony. She allegedly struck a restaurant employee, who was on foot, with her vehicle.
• Daniel John Burgan, 26, Rossford, for assault, a fourth-degree felony; and criminal mischief, a third-degree misdemeanor. On Sept. 24, Rossford police responded to the 500 block of Lime City Road on a report of Burgan opening mailboxes and going though the contents. This was the second call regarding Burgan in 30 minutes. He allegedly refused the officer’s command to stop and put his hands behind his back. As the officer reached for Burgan to take him into custody, he allegedly struck the officer in the face, causing a small laceration.
• Stephen Frederick Massey, 33, of Toledo and currently in jail, for failure to appear as required by recognizance, a fourth-degree felony. He failed to appear July 12 for a hearing on the charge of possession of drugs.
• Kerri Barber, 30, Perrysburg, for illegal use of supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits or WIC program benefits, a fourth-degree felony; and theft, a fifth-degree felony. From Jan. 26, 2022, to Oct. 12, 2023, she allegedly possessed or electronically transferred more than $1,000 in program benefits in a manner not authorized by the Food Stamp Act and/or the Child Nutrition Act. The theft was from the Wood County Job and Family Services.
• Gail Miller, 63, Toledo, for illegal use of supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits or WIC program benefits, a fourth-degree felony; and theft, a fifth-degree felony. From Jan. 26-July 23, she allegedly possessed or electronically transferred more than $1,000 in program benefits in a manner not authorized by the Food Stamp Act and/or the Child Nutrition Act. The theft was from the Wood County Job and Family Services.
• Jenna Nichole Low, 39, Bowling Green, for aggravated possession of drugs, a second-degree felony; possession of a fentanyl-related compound, a fifth-degree felony; illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia, a fourth-degree misdemeanor; and theft, a first-degree misdemeanor. On Aug. 15, she allegedly deprived Walmart of merchandise without consent and allegedly was found in possession of five times the bulk amount of methamphetamine as well as a fentanyl-related compound and drug paraphernalia.
• Andrew Joseph Burd, 49, Fort Wayne, Indiana, for grand theft, a fourth-degree felony. On June 17, he allegedly deprived a Perrysburg business of a universal length measuring machine, a master thread checking gauge, a gage block comparator, a torque tester and two desktop computers. He allegedly was supposed to purchase the company but withdrew the offer while still having the equipment and is currently using it at a new company he created. The equipment is valued at more than $100,000.
• Jamar Edward Duhart, 40, Toledo, for two counts of breaking and entering, both fifth-degree felonies; three counts of grand theft of a motor vehicle, all fourth-degree felonies; and possessing criminal tools, a fifth-degree felony. He allegedly used bolt cutters to enter Commercial Comfort Systems and take a trailer without consent and Southeastern Equipment and remove a Toro TX1000WT Dingo.
A warrant has been issued for his arrest.
• Nazia L. Smith, 26, Toledo, for two counts of strangulation, a third-degree felony and a fourth-degree felony. On Sept. 13 while a passenger in a vehicle parked in Perrysburg, Smith allegedly put his hands around the driver’s neck and pulled her head down towards his lap. The alleged victim, who was a household member, told police she grabbed his hands to break his grip in order to breathe.
• Tyler Carl Schultz, 35, Whitehouse, for grand theft and forgery, both fourth-degree felonies. He allegedly wrote a fraudulent invoice for light poles and deprived the US Utility Contractor Company of more than $7,500 in merchandise.
• Jermaine D. Brown, 29, Cincinnati, for failure to comply with an order or signal of a police office, a third-degree felony; and trafficking in marijuana, a fourth-degree felony. On Sept. 16 on I-75 near Bowling Green, Brown was stopped for a traffic violation then fled the scene at speeds of approximately 120 mph. The chase lasted 18 miles and Brown stopped after spike strips disabled his vehicle. When he was apprehended, a search of his vehicle uncovered approximately 220 grams of various marijuana products and banded currency.
• Giulio M. Ricciardi, 35, Perrysburg, for identity fraud, a fourth-degree felony; and theft from a person in a protected class, a fifth-degree felony. On Dec. 9, he allegedly used personal information of an elderly person to obtain money without consent.
• Evan Wolford, 31, Walbridge, for burglary, a second-degree felony. On Sept. 21, he allegedly used force to trespass in an occupied structure with the purpose of committing criminal damaging or endangering.
