CLINTON — On Friday, March 13, 2026, Clinton Police Officer Jeffrey Notaro spoke with an employee of the Santander Bank in Westborough who said that a customer was currently at their branch attempting to withdraw $20,000 and the employee believed the customer was being scammed.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Jeffrey Notaro and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
The customer was identified as a woman named Maria from Clinton, Massachusetts.
Officer Notaro then advised Westborough police of the situation and they responded to Santander Bank to speak with Maria.
Later that day, Officer Notaro said Westborough Police Detective Charles Laperle contacted him and reported that he had spoken with Maria, who said she had given an unknown Asian male several envelopes over the past several days.
“She stated she believed these people to be from the Federal Trade Commission,” Officer Notaro said.
Maria told Detective Laperle that the individuals said her name appeared online in connection with “illegal firearms” and that she needed to give them cash so they could “convert it to crypto currency for her” to “protect her.”
Maria said they were expecting to pick up $19,000 from her that evening.
“Maria stated she would assist in having the person come to meet her for the money, so we could attempt to apprehend the individual,” Officer Notaro said. “Detective Laperle, who had built a good rapport with Maria advised he would assist the Clinton Police with this operation.”
Later that evening, Detective Laperle, Officer Matthew Champagne and Officer Notaro met with Maria at her residence, because they expected the male suspect to arrive at that time.
“We then learned, that the male suspect was not coming, as Maria did not provide a receipt for the $19,000,” Officer Notaro said. “She stated to the male suspect that she had to wait until Saturday, March 14 to be able to withdraw $19,000.”
On March 14, Officer Notaro, Detective Laperle, and members of Homeland Security Investigations, which had ongoing investigations into this type of crime, met for a briefing at the Clinton Police Department.
Detective Laperle said Maria told him the male suspect was expected to arrive at her residence around 3 p.m.
“Prior to this time, units were deployed in discreet locations awaiting the arrival of the male subject,” Officer Notaro said. “Detective Laperle awaited inside with Maria.”
At approximately 3:00 p.m., an Asian male in a vehicle with New York plates pulled into the complex.
“The vehicle parked far away from the building. A male exited the vehicle, and began looking into vehicles parked in the parking lot,” Officer Notaro said. “The male party walked by my unmarked vehicle, which I was seated in, and continued checking each vehicle. The male party then went out of view for a short while. It was at this time, Maria was contacted to meet with [the suspect] at the front door.”
Officer Notaro said Maria was holding a Santander envelope wrapped in plastic that didn’t have any currency in it.
“The male subject went up to Maria and took possession of the item. At this time, units on scene approached the male party and placed him in custody without incident,” Officer Notaro said. “Maria stated she believed it was the same person as before, but was not certain.”
Officer Notaro said that, while he was speaking with Maria, she received a call from the person who she had been messaging all along.
“The male person on the phone was questioning her about the transaction, and questioning her about hearing loud sounds on the phone,” Officer Notaro said.
Officer Notaro noted that when the suspect, later identified as Zhi Jun Wang, 41, of Flushing, New York, was taken into custody, his cellphone was on speakerphone and he was speaking with an unknown individual.
“Wang stated he was ‘just there to pick up a package’ and stated he did not know what he was doing there,” Officer Notaro said. “He stated he found this ‘job’ using an application called ‘168.’”
Officer Notaro said Wang was subsequently transported to the Clinton Police Station, where he was booked by Officers Matthew Champagne and Jacob Brescia.
“Wang did not wish to provide info on his phone and stated he did not know who the person he was working with in order to receive the package. At this time, this is an ongoing investigation,” Officer Notaro said. Later adding, “Wang’s vehicle was towed from the private parking lot and secured at Guaranty Auto for future search warrant.”
Wang’s phone was also seized as police awaited a search warrant.
“To date, Maria [last name redacted] has lost about $97,000 in this scam to the same organization that appears be operating out of the state of New York,” Officer Notaro said.
Zhi Jun Wang, 41, of Flushing, New York, was charged with:
- Attempted Larceny
- Conspiracy
His bail was set at $10,000.
“At this time, this is an active and ongoing investigation, with assistance of Westborough Police and Homeland Security Investigations,” Officer Notaro said.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in March, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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