Recently, deputies assigned to Weddington met with staff at South State Bank to discuss a variety of safety topics, including fraud prevention. During that meeting, deputies encouraged employees to notify law enforcement if they encountered anything that seemed even the least bit suspicious.

The bank did exactly that after recognizing a man they believed to be Mr. Jing Chen, who had visited the bank the day before and attempted to open a business account using different identification documents than those he presented on this occasion. During the investigation, deputies were able to correctly identify the man as Yongxin Lin.

Lin was found to be in possession of nine different IDs, five of which belonged to real individuals, as well as three cell phones. Investigators determined that Lin had been opening business accounts at numerous locations across North Carolina.

Lin was arrested and charged with five counts of Identity Theft, two counts of Money Laundering, and nine counts of Possession/Manufacture of Fraudulent Forms of Identification. He was issued a $1,000,000 secured bond and remains in custody.

This remains an active and ongoing investigation. Additional charges may be forthcoming as investigators continue to review evidence and work to identify any additional victims or individuals who may be involved.