Chinese National Binghui Liu Pleads Guilty in Scam That Posed as Federal Agents and Took an Elderly Victim's $700,000
The U.S. Department of Justice announced on October 5 that Binghui Liu, 33, a citizen of China formerly residing in San Jose while his asylum application was pending, pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of California to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced the plea.
According to the Justice Department, between February 2024 and April 2025, Liu and his co-conspirators took part in a government-impersonation fraud scheme. Scammers, some operating from outside the United States including in India, posed as federal law enforcement officers and told victims that criminal charges had been filed against them and their bank accounts would be frozen. Victims were instructed to withdraw their savings in cash and hand it to supposed federal officials "for safekeeping." The scammers used fake names and code words, coached victims on what to tell bank tellers, and directed them to photograph themselves with the packaged cash. In one case, an elderly victim who was told by a caller posing as a U.S. Marshal that an arrest warrant had been issued lost more than $700,000 to supposed Federal Reserve employees.
Prosecutors say that in March and April 2025 alone, Liu collected roughly $597,100 in cash from 24 victims across California and Nevada. On April 9, 2025, he was caught in an FBI sting when he arrived to pick up what he believed was $20,000 in cash; the bills were fake. The FBI's Sacramento office investigated the case. Liu is scheduled to be sentenced on January 4, 2027, by Judge Kirk E. Sherriff, and faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $500,000 or twice the amount involved.
(Source: U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California, October 5)
Source: 美国司法部加州东区联邦检察官办公室
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 位于弗雷斯诺的美国联邦法院大楼（资料图）。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 2.0 授权
