Daren Li Sentenced in Absentia to 20 Years for Laundering $73.6 Million From Cambodia-Based Crypto Scam Centers
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California announced that Daren Li, 42, a dual national of China and St. Kitts and Nevis, was sentenced in absentia to 240 months (20 years) in federal prison, the statutory maximum, for his role in laundering money for Cambodia-based cryptocurrency investment scam centers. U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner imposed the sentence in Los Angeles in February 2026. Li cut off his electronic ankle monitor and fled in December 2025 and remains a fugitive; restitution will be determined later.
Li pleaded guilty in November 2024 to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. According to his plea agreement, co-conspirators working from scam centers contacted victims through social media, phone calls and online dating services, built romantic or professional relationships, and lured them into fraudulent cryptocurrency investments on spoofed trading platforms, or posed as customer service or tech support staff to trick victims into sending money. At least $73.6 million in victim funds was deposited into accounts associated with Li and his co-conspirators, including at least $59.8 million routed through U.S. shell companies. Li directed co-conspirators to open shell-company bank accounts, monitored incoming wire transfers, and oversaw conversion of the funds into virtual currency.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division said the sentence reflects the gravity of conduct that caused devastating losses to victims across the country, and that the department will work with law enforcement partners worldwide to return Li to the United States to serve his full sentence. Eight co-conspirators have pleaded guilty; Li is the first defendant directly involved in receiving victim funds to be sentenced. The U.S. Secret Service's Global Investigative Operations Center is investigating the case.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：笔记本电脑键盘上的比特币（资料图）。图片：Satheesh Sankaran，CC BY 2.0，取自 Wikimedia Commons
