Undocumented Immigrant Found Guilty of Credit Card Fraud Dies While in ICE Custody

Death of Chinese Citizen at Pennsylvania Detention Center

Chaofeng Ge, a 32-year-old from China, has been pronounced dead at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center located in Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania. Ge was facing deportation from the United States following a conviction earlier in the year for involvement in credit card fraud schemes.

As reported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Ge had been in custody for five days, awaiting a removal hearing with the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). Staff at the detention facility discovered him hanging in the shower area at 5:21 AM on Tuesday morning. They lowered him to the floor and attempted CPR until emergency medical services arrived.

Despite attempts to revive him, he was declared deceased by the Clearfield County Coroner around 6:03 AM.

Following criminal charges filed by the Lower Paxton Township Police regarding the credit card fraud scheme, Ge was taken to the detention facility and later transferred to ICE custody.

The police had encountered Ge at a CVS Pharmacy after receiving reports of a man attempting to buy a gift card with a fraudulent credit card. Upon investigation, officers discovered that Ge had multiple stolen credit card numbers stored on his phone.

Charges against him included criminal use of a communications facility, illegal use of a computer device, fraudulent access devices, and theft by deception. After bail was set at $150,000, he was remanded to the Dauphin County Jail. Due to his immigration status, ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) subsequently issued a detention request.

In July, Ge pleaded guilty to conspiracy for unlawfully using a device issued to another individual. He received a sentence of 6 to 12 months for each count and was immediately taken into ICE custody, which subsequently transferred him to the Moshannon Valley Processing Center.

As per ICE policy, the Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General and the ICE Enforcement Responsibility Office were informed about Ge’s death. ICE also notified the Chinese Embassy regarding the incident.