A man from Long Island has been charged with the theft of nearly $3 million from a couple who have gone missing, but he did not appear at his federal court arraignment on Monday â leading to an arrest warrant being issued for him.
Yinye âRoyâ Wang, 36, is facing bank fraud charges for allegedly embezzling funds from Paishuan Fan and Juanjuan Zwang. Wang was supposed to appear in US District Court in Central Islip, but instead, he went missing, leaving his alleged accomplice to confront the legal proceedings alone.
âOnce we locate him, we will proceed with arranging his arraignment,â stated Judge James M. Wicks.
Wang, hailing from Roslyn, is charged alongside 55-year-old Quiju Wu from Queens, both accused of emptying the bank accounts of Fan and Zwang, who disappeared from their Old Brookville residence on April 2.
The couple, ages 48 and 44, had purchased their $3.8 million home with cash after emigrating from China in 2022.
Prosecutors allege that shortly after their disappearance, their bank account was accessed, leading to significant withdrawals and transfers totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars between July and August.
At one point, both victims were added to Wuâs account, which was labeled as âjoint with rights of survivorship,â according to the criminal complaint detailing the case â with approximately $2.8 million reported stolen in total.
Security footage captured Wu at two different banks in Queens where some transactions occurred, while officials noted that Wang, who has a history of identity theft allegations, accompanied her during one visit.
Wu was arrested in Texas earlier in the month and has been in federal immigration custody, showing up in the Long Island federal court on Monday.
Wang was apprehended in California and was released on bond prior to Mondayâs scheduled court appearance.
His attorney, Felipe Garcia, informed the judge that he last communicated with Wang nearly a week prior, stating that he was unable to board a flight to New York due to lacking both his passport and a Real ID, which are now necessary for domestic air travel.
Instead, Wang reportedly said he would drive across the country to reach the court but has not been in contact since, according to his lawyer.
The investigation into the coupleâs mysterious disappearance is still ongoing by Nassau County police, though no formal charges have been filed concerning their case.
On the night before the children left for a trip to the Catskills, the couple dined with their sons, aged 12 and 20, along with some of the younger childâs friends.
