As Maine continues to struggle with how to confront the sprawling networks of Chinese criminal organizations that have taken the state’s medicinal and black-market marijuana business, two men have been arrested in New York on bank fraud charges connected to the illegal cannabis conspiracy.
Yuantong Liang, 36, and Yongliang Deng, 34, both described as U.S. citizens, were taken into custody in New York on Thursday following their indictment by a federal grand jury in Maine, according to a report from the Bangor newspaper.
The men face multiple charges related to falsifying documents to secure mortgages for homes later converted into marijuana grow houses, according to court filings first reported on by the Bangor newspaper.
Over the last 18 months, the Maine Wire has identified more than 300 properties that repeat the same exact pattern as the properties tied to Liang and Deng: out-of-state Chinese men and women purchasing rural homes — sometimes with mortgages — upgrading the electrical capacity of those properties, and subsequently running black-market, unlicensed cannabis cultivation sites.
More than 70 of those properties have used special mortgages reserved for immigrants and foreign nationals from the New York-based Quontic Bank in order to obtain the properties, suggesting a sophisticated understanding of how to exploit the American financial system to facilitate the criminal rackets.
The Maine Wire has also obtained a list from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that provides the addresses of nearly 270 properties across Maine that the agency believes are tied to the organized criminal activities, including apartments in Maine’s major cities, seemingly legitimate businesses, and apparent illegal marijuana grows.
Dozens of those address are linked to licenses issued by Maine’s Office of Cannabis Policy within the last year, according to a review of OCP records by the Maine Wire, meaning Maine is actively licensing as medicinal grow sites the very locations suspect by DHS as belonging to organized criminal networks.
The properties, located in Bucksport, Eddington; and Canaan, were purchased in 2020 using fraudulent loans totaling $542,000, authorities said.
Liang and Deng allegedly worked with co-conspirators to misrepresent financial details and secure loans under false pretenses.
Liang is accused of orchestrating the scheme by paying associates to act as buyers. In one instance, Liang and his wife reportedly provided $55,000 for a down payment and closing costs for a property in Bucksport. The associate posed as the primary homeowner, but Liang maintained control of the bank account tied to the property, investigators allege.
The Bucksport property, located on Bucksmills Road, was destroyed by a fire in February 2022. Officials told the Bangor newspaper the blaze was linked to equipment used for marijuana cultivation, though the precise cause could not be determined.
Deng and another unnamed co-conspirator are alleged to have participated in similar schemes for homes in Eddington and Canaan. Court records indicate Liang also falsified payroll information to help secure a loan for the latter property.
When purchasing the Eddington property, at 200 Clewleyville Rd, Deng supplied the address of 7608 V & K, INC., a business located at 76-08 Rockaway Blvd in Woodhaven, N.Y.
That business is registered to a Jinming Deng.
Liang faces a total of 15 charges, including conspiracy, bank fraud, money laundering, and maintaining properties for drug production. Deng has been charged with conspiracy, bank fraud, and lying to federal investigators.
Both men made initial court appearances Thursday. Deng was released on a $50,000 bond with travel restrictions, while Liang remains in custody awaiting a bond hearing next week.
The case highlights federal efforts to combat illegal cannabis cultivation in Maine, where a growing number of properties have been targeted for their connection to illicit operations.
Federal agencies have stepped up enforcement in recent years, although criminal prosecutions remain relatively rare.
The Maine State Police have been almost totally absent from the enforcement effort, and Maine Gov. Janet Mills has yet to make a single comment about the sprawling criminal conspiracy.
In March, the Maine Wire reported exclusively that Gov. Mills’ brother, Paul Mills, had worked as a real estate attorney for a Chinese national with ties to an illegal marijuana grow site in Corinna.
Democratic state lawmakers in Maine’s last legislative session killed multiple Republican proposals that aimed to crackdown on the cannabis-based organized crime epidemic in Maine.
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