BROOKLYN, N.Y. — A Queens man has been charged with wire fraud, mail fraud, and impersonating a federal law enforcement officer after allegedly deceiving a woman into giving him $500,000 by falsely promising to secure her a green card, federal prosecutors announced Friday.
Tommy Aijie Da Silva Weng, also known as “Tommy Weng Da Silva” and “Jacky,” was arrested Friday morning and is set to be arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lara K. Eshkenazi in Brooklyn federal court.
Key Points
- Tommy Weng allegedly posed as a federal agent for nearly eight years to defraud a woman out of $500,000.
- He drove a red Hummer with an “ICE” vanity plate and used fake law enforcement credentials.
- Prosecutors say he never submitted a visa application and strung the victim along with false promises.
According to the indictment, Weng orchestrated the scheme for nearly eight years, beginning in April 2016, by falsely claiming he was a federal law enforcement agent with connections that could expedite a green card application through the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa Program. Prosecutors allege that Weng showed the victim, identified as Jane Doe, a law enforcement badge and a business card from the “Federal Officers Police Association” to bolster his deception.
Weng also allegedly told Jane Doe that he worked for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and was being transferred to INTERPOL in Italy. To maintain the illusion, he drove a red Hummer with a vanity license plate featuring the acronym “ICE,” referencing Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Believing Weng’s claims, Jane Doe handed over $500,000. Instead of investing the money or filing a visa application, Weng allegedly pocketed the funds and strung the victim along for years with false updates and excuses.
“As alleged, Weng falsely represented himself as a member of federal law enforcement to gain the trust of an unsuspecting victim,” said U.S. Attorney John J. Durham. “The defendant preyed on the victim’s desire to become a United States citizen and pursue the American dream, then stole not only that dream but also hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
FBI Acting Assistant Director in Charge Leslie Backschies called Weng an “alleged imposter” who “twisted a respected profession into an elaborate scheme while violating the public’s trust in law enforcement.”
Weng now faces serious federal charges and could face significant prison time if convicted.
