Member of multi-million fencing ring convicted, more than $5M in stolen electronics and $1.2M in cash recovered

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA – A Norcross man was found guilty of being a leading member of a fencing enterprise that profited from shipping stolen, domestically blacklisted electronic items overseas for profit.

A Gwinnett County jury found Kong Zhen Ni, 41, guilty of violation of Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and theft by receiving, for his part in the extensive fencing ring. He was sentenced to seven years in prison followed by three years of probation and must pay a $100,000 fine.

“Our office is proud to have recovered this groundswell of stolen items,” District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said. “We’re sending a message with this RICO conviction that organized crime is not welcome in Gwinnett, and anyone who participates will face criminal consequences.”

Police investigating reports of porch piracy throughout the county in November 2024 identified a suspect who pointed them to Ni as a primary fence. Police surveillance over several months showed that Ni and other partners had set up an elaborate scheme to fence electronic devices mainly overseas to areas such as Hong Kong and Dubai, because the items were blacklisted by domestic mobile phone carriers. Through police surveillance, investigators also learned that members of the fencing ring had a sophisticated money-laundering operation set up to conceal the source of their illegal income.

Police executed a search warrant in six different homes in three different counties on May 29, 2025. They recovered more than $5 million worth of stolen electronics and $1.2 million from Ni’s home when he was arrested. Ni, and others arrested were awash in luxury, with extravagant homes, high-end cars and expensive goods determined to be a result of the fencing ring.

Upon being indicted in August 2025, Ni demanded an expedited trial, which he was granted. Members of the District Attorney’s Complex Crimes Unit were prepared in January and won a jury decision within two weeks. Other defendants await prosecution.

Complex Crimes Managing Assistant District Attorney Han Chung and Assistant District Attorney Nam Nguyen prosecuted the case with assistance from Investigators Benjamin Lucas and Bernard Monti, and Victim Witness Advocate Trina Bradford. The Gwinnett County Police Department was invaluable in helping to prosecute this case.