The following is based on information received from a law enforcement agency. The person(s) named is innocent until proven otherwise in court.
COURT HOUSE – Ling Zhou, 52, of Cupertino, Calif. was indicted by a Cape May County grand jury Aug. 14 on charges of money laundering, theft, and impersonation, according to a release from County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland, Aug. 21.
In January 2017, an investigation was conducted by the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office and the Avalon Police Department. It revealed that Zhou was involved in defrauding the Seaboard Title Company in Avalon of over $750,000.
The alleged crime occurred during an electronic transfer of money during the closing of a property sale.
Zhou was initially charged Feb. 23, 2018 by the Prosecutor’s Office.
Sutherland advised that an individual charged with a first-degree crime, (money laundering) can be sentenced to 10-20 years in state prison. Crimes of the second degree (theft and impersonation) can carry a sentence of five to 10 years in prison.
