Chinese National Sentenced to 6.5 Years in $27 Million Fraud Scheme Targeting 2,000 Seniors
A Chinese national who took part in a $27 million multinational fraud scheme targeting elderly victims was sentenced on November 13 in federal court in San Diego, California, to six and a half years in prison. The defendant, Jiandong Chen, 42, of Los Angeles, known as “Little Tiger,” was sentenced in a case announced the same day by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California.
According to public documents, members of the conspiracy operated technical support, bank impersonation, government impersonation and refund scams targeting elderly victims. Victims received unsolicited phone calls, emails and pop-up ads directing them to call a phone number that belonged to India-based scam call centers.
Once a victim called, conspirators used social engineering to build trust, then induced victims to send money to members of the conspiracy in the United States, in locations throughout Southern California, Nevada and elsewhere. The money most often arrived as bulk cash in express mail packages, but also as wire transfers, and certain members also picked up money in person directly from victims. Investigators identified more than 2,000 elderly victims across the country, many in their 70s and 80s, who lost more than $27 million over about two years.
Chen, a Chinese national, moved to the United States in November 2022 and by February 2023 was actively participating in the scheme. In July 2023, he traveled to a residence in the Los Angeles area to pick up bulk cash from someone he believed to be an elderly victim, and was confronted by Ashton Bingham and Art Kulik of Trilogy Media in a video that spread widely on YouTube; both attended the sentencing hearing. Prosecutors showed videos of Chen retrieving victim packages and counting victims' money.
Despite being arrested by local law enforcement in June 2023, Chen's involvement continued through at least December 22, 2023, when federal agents encountered him in Upland, California, attempting to retrieve additional victim packages. In his plea agreement, Chen admitted that his part of the conspiracy involved more than $9.5 million in victim losses, that he used fake IDs to retrieve packages, and that he frequently relocated, including to the Southern District of California, to evade law enforcement. The conspirators also laundered proceeds through cryptocurrency, including trips to Las Vegas, Nevada.
“These victims weren't foolish. They were lied to and exploited by a sophisticated criminal network,” said United States Attorney Adam Gordon. Mark Remily, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Diego Field Office, said such schemes rob victims of their peace of mind, trust and sense of security, and that Chen played a key role in a scheme that targeted vulnerable older Americans. Before pronouncing the 78-month sentence, U.S. District Judge Robert S. Huie said Chen had “engaged in extensive course of conduct in stealing from some of the most vulnerable people here in the United States.” The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Mokhtari, and was investigated by the FBI, the FDIC Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations and San Diego County agencies. (Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of California)
Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of California
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于华盛顿的美国司法部总部大楼。ajay_suresh 摄，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons，本图已裁为 16:9。 / Photo: Headquarters of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington. By ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped to 16:9.
