On July 31, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced the indictment of two Chinese-American defendants, who are accused of attempting to defraud over 350 elderly victims nationwide of a total of $18 million, pocketing $5 million in illegal proceeds.
37-year-old defendant Jingbin Jiang was arrested at his Staten Island home early that morning. A co-suspect, 38-year-old Su Jian Liu (also known as “Fatty” or “A Pang”), remains at large.
The indictment reveals that between 2023 and July of this year, the two defendants used hacking techniques to send phishing messages to victims’ computers, impersonating large technology companies, banks, or government agencies. These messages were then used to lure victims into calling phone numbers controlled by the ring. Once the calls were connected, the scammers falsely claimed that the victims’ electronic devices had been hacked, involved in serious crimes such as downloading child pornography, or that their computers had been infected with viruses or their bank accounts had been compromised, instilling fear in the victims. The scammers then “advised” the victims to withdraw cash from their accounts or purchase gold, then hand it over to designated “collectors” who would come to their homes. These “collectors” often posed as postal workers or government officials, sometimes providing victims with forged official federal government notices.
According to some victims, they mistakenly believed these “official collectors” would deposit their funds into a new secure account or federal agency, from which they could later access them. However, in reality, none of the money was ever returned.
Defendants Jiang Jingbin and Liu Sujian served as the core of the ring, directing and overseeing the “collectors.” These individuals would bring the stolen funds back to New York and hand them over to the two individuals, who would then convert them into cryptocurrency and distribute the funds to the runners’ accounts overseas, primarily in India and China.
According to the criminal plan, the ring had identified approximately 350 victims and intended to defraud them of at least 18 million yuan. The victims, mostly elderly, resided in 19 states, including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. Before Jiang Jingbin’s arrest, the gang had amassed approximately $5 million in illegal proceeds and targeted over 70 victims.
According to the indictment, Jiang Jingbin and Liu Sujian were each charged with two counts: conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property. If convicted, they face a maximum sentence of 25 years.
