Police in Fairfield have arrested two New York City men in separate investigations involving financial scams that targeted elderly residents and resulted in a combined loss of more than $457,000.
According to the Fairfield Police Department, both cases involved victims who were persuaded to withdraw money and purchase gold before handing it over to individuals posing as couriers.
In the first case, Le Chen, 40, of Flushing, New York, was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit larceny in the first degree and conspiracy to commit telephone fraud in the first degree. Chen was held on a $175,000 bond and appeared in Bridgeport Superior Court on March 3.
Investigators say the charges stem from a June 2025 incident in which a Fairfield resident was instructed to withdraw funds and purchase gold. The gold was later collected by a courier as part of the scam, resulting in a loss of about $166,000.
In a separate case, Fangzeng Huang, 37, of Brooklyn, New York, was arrested and charged with the same offenses — conspiracy to commit larceny in the first degree and conspiracy to commit telephone fraud in the first degree. Huang was held on a $650,000 bond and also appeared at Bridgeport Superior Court on March 3.
Authorities said Huang’s charges are linked to a September 2025 incident in which another Fairfield resident was persuaded to convert assets into gold and hand them over to individuals posing as couriers. The victim in that case lost approximately $291,070 through a combination of wire transfers and gold purchases.
Police said additional arrests are expected as the investigation continues.
Detectives noted that both cases required extensive investigative work, including surveillance analysis, financial tracking across multiple banking institutions, and search warrants for telecommunications and digital records. Investigators also worked with regional and federal partners to identify those responsible.
Officials warn that scams involving impersonation of government agencies, financial institutions, or law enforcement are increasingly targeting older adults. These schemes often instruct victims to withdraw large sums of money, purchase gold, or hand over assets to a courier.
Police emphasized that such requests are major warning signs, noting that no legitimate government or law enforcement agency will ever ask someone to move money or buy gold to protect their accounts.
