Chinese National Binghui Liu Indicted in Money Laundering Conspiracy That Impersonated Federal Officers
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California announced that a federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment charging Binghui Liu with a money laundering conspiracy. Liu, 32, is a citizen of China formerly residing in San Jose, in Santa Clara County, California. Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced the indictment.
According to court documents, between February 2024 and April 2025, Liu and other co-conspirators engaged in a scheme to launder proceeds derived from a government impersonation fraud scam. Members of the conspiracy pretended to be federal law enforcement officers or employees when contacting target victims, falsely claiming, for example, that charges had been wrongfully filed against the victims and that their bank accounts would be frozen. The scammers typically instructed victims to withdraw their savings in cash and then arranged for a fake law enforcement officer or federal employee to pick up the cash for supposed safekeeping. The scammers used fake names and code words, and instructed victims to take pictures of themselves and the cash packaged for pickup.
The Justice Department says Liu served as a money launderer in the scheme, traveling to victims throughout California and Nevada to take their money. He used code words and fake names, and victims were falsely told he was either a federal employee or a law enforcement officer; at no point was Liu a federal employee or law enforcement officer.
In one example described in the indictment, an elderly victim was contacted by someone pretending to be a U.S. Marshal, who cited a fake arrest warrant and the possibility that the victim's bank account would be frozen. The victim was instructed to give the money to Federal Reserve employees, supposedly to protect the funds, and the scammers coached the victim on withdrawing funds, what to say to the bank about the large withdrawals, and how to package the funds for multiple pickups. On April 9, 2025, FBI agents set up a sting operation: Liu arrived at the elderly victim's house and took what he believed was $20,000 but was in fact fake money, and agents arrested him shortly afterward. In total, the elderly victim lost over $780,000 to the fraud scheme.
The case is the product of an investigation by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cody S. Chapple and Arelis M. Clemente. If convicted, Liu faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction, whichever is greater; any sentence would be determined by the court after consideration of the applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. The charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The Justice Department asked anyone with information about the case, or who believes they may be a victim, to report it at tips.fbi.gov or to their local FBI office. The case is No. 1:25-cr-00089, before U.S. District Judge Kirk E. Sherriff. (Source: U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California)
Source: 美国司法部加州东区检察官办公室
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于加州弗雷斯诺的罗伯特·E·科伊尔联邦法院大楼（资料图），本案起诉书在此提交。图：Thank You (24 Millions) views，CC BY 2.0，via Wikimedia Commons / Photo: The Robert E. Coyle Federal Building and United States Courthouse in Fresno, California (file photo), where the indictment in this case was filed. Photo: Thank You (24 Millions) views, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- 2025-04-24Chinese National Binghui Liu Indicted in Money Laundering Conspiracy That Impersonated Federal OfficersThis story
- 2026-10-05Chinese National Binghui Liu Pleads Guilty in $597,000 Money-Laundering Conspiracy Posing as Federal Officers
- 2026-10-15Chinese National Binghui Liu Pleads Guilty in Scam That Posed as Federal Agents and Took an Elderly Victim's $700,000
