A Los Angeles federal jury has convicted three individuals for their involvement in laundering the proceeds of large-scale consumer fraud schemes through gift card transactions. Blade Bai, Bowen Hu, and Tairan Shi were found guilty of conspiring to launder the proceeds of wire fraud, with Bai additionally convicted of a separate money laundering conspiracy count.
In this scheme, fraudsters conducted government-imposter scams and tech support scams. In government-imposter scams, they impersonated government officials, such as Social Security Administration or local police officers, and falsely claimed that victims needed to buy gift cards to resolve non-existent issues, often threatening victims with arrest warrants or Social Security problems. In tech support scams, they deceived victims into believing their computers or online accounts had serious problems, insisting that substantial payments be made through gift cards to fix these fictitious issues.
In this case, the scammers instructed victims to purchase gift cards from Target stores and provide the card information to the scammers. The defendants then passed on these card numbers to “runners,” who used the funds to buy consumer electronics, other gift cards, and items at Target stores, mainly in Los Angeles and Orange counties. These actions aimed to hide the fact that the gift cards were initially funded with fraudulent proceeds.
Yan Fu, a fourth defendant, had previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 months in prison.
Bai, Hu, and Shi are scheduled to be sentenced on January 26, 2024.
The investigation was conducted by HSI and the FBI Los Angeles Field Office, West Covina Resident Agency, as part of HSI Los Angeles’ El Camino Real Financial Crimes Task Force, a multi-agency task force focused on financial crimes in Southern California. Assistance was provided by various law enforcement agencies, including the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General, police departments, and sheriff’s offices across the United States.
The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Wei Xiang and Meredith Healy of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Tait of the Major Frauds Section for the Central District of California.
The Consumer Protection Branch and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California are part of the Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force, which investigates and prosecutes scams run by transnational criminal organizations, including mass mailing and telemarketing fraud scams.
By FCCT Editorial Team freeslots dinogame telegram营销
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