BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Chun Yan, 42, a native and citizen of China, who entered the U.S. illegally from Mexico in 2023, has been denied a bond hearing as he awaits removal by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
According to court documents, on February 24, 2026, Yan traveled six hours from Brooklyn, NY, to the home of an elderly woman in Ogdensburg, NY, in the Western District of New York. The woman was falsely told that a federal agent was going to freeze her assets if she didn’t pay the Federal Trade Commission, so she handed over $53,000 in cash to Yan, who returned less than a month later in an attempt to take another $50,000 from the victim. On March 19, 2026, Yan was arrested by the Ogdensburg Police Department and charged with Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, Attempted Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, and Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree. After being released by local law enforcement the next day, Yan was arrested and detained by ICE and remains in ICE custody until he is removed from the United States.
In an attempt to obtain release, Yan filed an immigration habeas petition, stating that he “was randomly arrested by ICE.” U.S. District Judge Meredith A. Vacca denied his petition, citing the Laken Riley Act, which mandates detention for those arrested or charged with an applicable crime at the time of their immigration detention.
The case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel B. Moar.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Western District of New York — U.S. Department of Justice press release.