Man pleads guilty to scamming nearly $600K from victims in California, Nevada
By Tim Fang
A man has been convicted for his role in a scam that stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from victims in California and Nevada, prosecutors said Monday.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of California announced 33-year-old Binghui Liu pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Prosecutors said Liu, a Chinese national, formerly resided in San Jose and had applied for asylum.
According to court documents, between February 2024 and April 2025, Liu and other co-conspirators impersonated government officials to scam victims. The scammers, who posed as federal law enforcement officers or employees, falsely claimed that criminal charges were filed against the victims and claimed that their bank accounts would be frozen.
Victims were told to withdraw their savings in cash and to surrender their money “for safekeeping” and were also told that a federal official would arrive to collect the cash.
“The scammers used fake names, code words, and directed the victims to take pictures of themselves and the cash packaged for pickup,” prosecutors said in a statement.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office noted the case of one elderly victim, who was told by someone posing as a U.S. Marshal that there was an arrest warrant against the victim and that the victim’s bank accounts could be frozen. A scammer told the victim to “protect” their money by turning it over to people posing as Federal Reserve employees.
After withdrawing the cash, Liu and other co-conspirators posing as federal officials collected the money. Prosecutors said the victim had lost more than $700,000.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Liu served as a money launderer for others in the scheme. During March and April 2025, prosecutors said Liu took about $597,100 from 24 victims in California and Nevada.
Liu was arrested following a sting operation on April 9, 2025. Prosecutors said he arrived at a victim’s house and took what he believed was $20,000, but the money was fake.
Sentencing in the case is scheduled for Jan. 4, 2027. Liu faces a sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction, whichever is greater.
Anyone who may have additional information or who may be a victim of the scam is asked to visit tips.fbi.gov, call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or visit a local FBI office.
