The Cumberland Police Department have arrested Zhangqi Xie of Flushing, New York, for theft by deception. The suspect allegedly convinced a resident to convert financial assets of over $100,000 into gold bars.
From the Cumberland PD:
On March 5, 2025, the Cumberland Police Department received a report that a local resident had fallen victim to a sophisticated online fraud scheme, convincing them to convert financial assets of over $100,000 into gold bars, which were then given to a courier. Investigators determined that the scam was still in progress, with the perpetrators attempting to obtain additional assets from the victim. In response, detectives organized a targeted sting operation.
On March 10, 2025, at approximately 6:00 PM, authorities apprehended Zhangqi Xie, a 44-year-old male with an address in Flushing, New York. Xie was arrested in the Foreside area after he traveled to Cumberland with the intent of further victimizing the resident. Xie is currently being held at the Cumberland County Jail on $500,000 bail. He has been charged with Theft by Deception, a class B felony crime punishable by a period of incarceration up to 10 years and fines up to $20,000.
The Cumberland Police Department and the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office were assisted by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Yarmouth Police Department, and the Falmouth Police Department.
In recent weeks, all levels of law enforcement in Maine have responded to a higher frequency of incidents involving in-person encounters between victims and courier impersonators. More information, HERE.
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