Chinese National Binghui Liu Pleads Guilty in $597,000 Money-Laundering Conspiracy Posing as Federal Officers
FRESNO, Calif. — The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California announced on October 5 that Binghui Liu, 33, a Chinese national formerly living in San Jose whose asylum application is pending, has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Prosecutors say that from February 2024 to April 2025, Liu and his accomplices posed as federal law-enforcement officers, told victims they faced criminal charges and that their bank accounts would be frozen, and induced them to hand over cash for 'safekeeping,' with Liu collecting the money in person.
In March and April 2025 alone, Liu collected about $597,100 from 24 victims in California and Nevada; one elderly victim lost more than $700,000 to a caller claiming to be a U.S. Marshal. Liu was arrested in April 2025 in an FBI sting while taking $20,000 in fake bills. Sentencing is set for January 4, 2027, before U.S. District Judge Kirk E. Sherriff; Liu faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
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