Alleged Swindler Scammed Out of $800,000 by New York City Limo Driver

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed)
Nov 15th 2010 at 12:31PM

Tony Chan Chun Chuen is allegedly swindled by New York Limo driver.

A New York City limo driver allegedly stole the credit card information belonging to a Hong Kong-based near billionaire and racked up nearly $800,000 in fraudulent charges, according to court documents filed in a Federal Court in Brooklyn.

Astonishingly, the victim is so wealthy, he wasn't even aware he had been defrauded of hundreds of thousands of dollars until it was brought to his attention by the company that had issued the charge card.

It all started when celebrity feng shui adviser, Chan Chun Chuen, also known as "Tony Chan" (seen above), traveled by private jet in July 2008 arriving at New Jersey's Teterboro Airport before being transported to Manhattan by Queens, N.Y.-based driver, Peter S. Rahhaoui. According to an indictment filed in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, Rahhaoui later used Chan's American Express card to "receive payment and other things of value". The fraudulent activity allegedly occurred between August 2008 and November 2009 .

U.S. Secret Service Agent Kwame Davis testified that he had been contacted by a fraud investigator working on behalf of American Express who was investigating a pattern of fraudulent activity for a card issued to Chan Chun Chuen. According to Kwame's testimony, a large number of charges were posted on a monthly basis by A&S Limousine Service, for amounts ranging between $4,300 and $19,242. According to court documents, the total amount of these charges was $794,986.

But in a strange twist of events, the victim's own alleged misdoings are now being used as a defense by Rahhaouhi.

According to the New York Post, Chan Chun Chuen was arrested in Hong Kong stemming from allegations that he presented a forged will that made him the sole heir to billionaire Nina Wang's fortune. Wang was the richest woman in Asia with an estimated net worth of $4 billion at the time of her death at age 67 three years ago (according to Forbes). But the allegedly forged will is not the only legal trouble in Hong Kong that Chan Chun Chuen is facing. Wang, who was a love interest of Chan Chun Chuen's, allegedly paid him hundreds of millions of dollars for his feng shui skills. According to the NY Post, Hong Kong tax collectors have slapped Chan with a $41 million charge.

Rahhaouhi has pleaded not guilty. According to the NY Post, he is claiming the American Express charges were authorized by Chan Chun Chuen.

Tags: American Express, billionaire, Can Chun Chuen, court, feng shui, fraud, fraud investigation, Hong Kong, legal action, Nina Wang, Tony Chan

Filed under: Wealth, Celebrity Design, Crimes and Misdemeanors

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Reader Comments (Page 2 of 3)

Linda Nov 16th 2010 8:04PM

sorry about that read your comments wrong for you are correct-please accept my apology-he should have donated to the DNC-for we need the help now that we know that the republicans get help from the rich to keep our jobs going over seas.

Richard Nov 17th 2010 2:52AM

safetymel , I don't think LINDA caught your tongue in cheek, or I took it to be a tongue in cheek remark about the Democratic donations. Like most liberals she has no comprehension skills. She is not aware that Obama took money from Chinese business as did Clinton and all other Democrats. In fact big oil donated more money to the Democrats than Republicans. But of course Linda wouldn't know that, she gets her info. from MSNBC, CNN. and probably that communist outfit mediamatters. Liberals sure are a hoot, but what can one expect from a bunch of socialist nuts.

Tom Nov 16th 2010 10:22AM

""allegedly paid him hundreds of millions of dollars for his feng shui skills""
Man, people sure can waste alot of money on crazy stuff....

Peter Nov 16th 2010 10:39AM

Throw the limo driver in jail and throw away the key, period.

Patrick Nov 16th 2010 10:43AM

Geez I'd be happy with just $1,000 from that money..$1,000 to him is probably like 10 cents to us..it would just go un-noticed and I bet even the credit card company wouldn't even notice it, too

homeexperts Nov 16th 2010 11:31AM

Ha ha...He didn't defraud the poor and weak..He stole from a thief....shame he didn't get away with it. I'm sure the cab driver needed the money more than a feng shui adviser who got paid hundreds of millions for his services...I smell a rat.....

pst2868 Nov 16th 2010 11:48AM

I follow the Tony Chan case. He is flat broke now, having lost the inheritance case. He had spent millions on the lawyers and lost a lot of money in the stock market. He had also transferred money to his brothers. The Hong Kong government have put a freeze on his assets pending outcome of the tax evasion case. It is possible the cab driver was used as a way for Chan to get cash. AX allowed the charges and the balance was paid probably with funds held in US banks. AX can not possibly allow the balance to reach 794K.
The cab driver is most likely guilty of money laundering. You have to see the details of the credit card charges. I would guess they are for limo services which were never made.

misspider Nov 16th 2010 2:06PM

Wow you're probably right!

misspider Nov 16th 2010 2:05PM

Wow you're probably right!

misspider Nov 16th 2010 2:02PM

Wow you're probably right!

LES HENDRICKSON Nov 16th 2010 11:42AM

Being that rich does not make you smart. Obviously.

sheila Nov 16th 2010 1:12PM

yesterday my neighbor and myself went to groceryshe went too help as im disabled and have to take a chair to sit down when i get tired she was helping me check prices on an item and sat her pocket book down and in the confusion of me getting sick she forgot her purse and when we started to check out relized that she didnt have her purse we franticlly started loking for it but someone had turned it in and all her money and ccards were there i have to say that i praised GOD for this miracle because where this store is at their are alot of homelss and drug addicts there and stuff gets stolen all the time .i also prayed for the person who was honnest enough to turn in her purse that GOD would bless her 10 times a 100 fold but isnt it nice too know that there are still a few honest people still exsisting in the world we live in today

Sherylynne Nov 16th 2010 12:00PM

This article smells. Something is not right here and I don't think it is the limo driver. Chuen is the one who ran a game on Wang's estate. What do we know about the limo driver? If he really scammed $800k, why would he still be driving a limo and hanging around to eventually get caught? And why would the money have been paid to the limo company? I think Chuen's feng shui has backfired on him. He must have had a chair out of place somewhere or two doors facing each other. Be interesting to see how this plays out.

joel rambaud Nov 16th 2010 12:05PM

stealing from a thief is not stealing .

baldinia Nov 16th 2010 12:16PM

Throw them both in the same cell with Bubba.

J.E.B. Nov 16th 2010 2:35PM

Gee, he should've only taken $50,000 from him.

marksmant001 Nov 16th 2010 3:40PM

Same old "Phoney American media", calling the guy a taxi driver, when they knew damned well he was a Limo driver. But a "Taxi Driver" sounds more like a criminal don't you think? At least that's what these idiots would have you believe.
No wonder this country is on such a down slide.

Swade Nov 16th 2010 5:49PM

The only person who referred to him as a taxi driver was you. Read a little more carefully.

Nancy Nov 16th 2010 9:10PM

SWADE ...no. YOU need to read more carefully. The link to the article read "Cab Driver Allegedly Stole $794,986". Now apologize to Marksman.

Linda Nov 16th 2010 8:03PM

Ok since the republicans are in the house lets see just how much they are going to give back to the american people in jobs they sent over seas for the wealthy gave them donations for favors to keep our jobs going overseas for a profit for them,I donot belive they will do nothing but harrass Pres.Obama in not going fairly on his ideas-not unless they get something in return-you know,we will not give you this until you do this and that-yeah they are not going to compromise at all,they are haters and racist all of them-they are just haters look at their body language-and Pat Buchanan needs to go somewhere and just not wake up again-he is so racist until its pathetic and and embarrisment to us all-I am just going to sit back and see just how they are going to do all this in January 2011- for you know there is no tea party just another name for the republican party don't let these fools, fool ya! The man inherited a mess of 8yrs how can the amerian people think he can turn things around in 20months-for he said "things would get worst before getting better, they gave Bush 8yrs of chances & said nothing and see where he put us all.

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