A US federal judge sentenced a Chinese national to nearly four years in prison for his role in laundering more than $36.9 million tied to a crypto investment scam.
This sentencing marks an enforcement milestone as US authorities step up efforts to dismantle cryptocurrency fraud networks.
Inside the $36.9 Million Crypto Scam
According to a statement released by the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, Jingliang Su, a 45-year-old Chinese national, was part of an international criminal network. The group defrauded 174 US victims through a fraudulent digital asset investment scheme.
SponsoredProsecutors said the group contacted victims via unsolicited social media messages, phone calls, text messages, and online dating platforms. They gained their trust before pitching fraudulent investment opportunities.
The co-conspirators used fake websites that closely resembled legitimate cryptocurrency trading platforms, persuading victims to transfer funds. The scammers allegedly stole the money while misleading victims into believing their investments were increasing in value.
“New investment opportunities may sound intriguing, but they have a dark side: attracting criminals who, in this case, stole then laundered tens of millions of dollars from their victims,” First Assistant United States Attorney, Bill Essayli, stated.
The operation used a sophisticated laundering infrastructure. Authorities estimate that more than $36.9 million in victim funds was moved from US bank accounts controlled by the group into a single account at Deltec Bank in the Bahamas.
The funds were converted into Tether (USDT) and sent to digital wallets controlled in Cambodia. Co-conspirators in Cambodia then distributed the converted funds to scam operations across the region.
The authorities revealed that Su has been in federal custody since December 2024. He pleaded guilty in June 2025 to one count of conspiracy to operate an illegal money transmitting business.
On Tuesday, US District Judge R. Gary Klausner sentenced Su to 46 months in federal prison. In addition, the judge ordered him to pay more than $26 million in restitution.
Furthermore, eight co-conspirators have pleaded guilty in the case. Among them, Jose Somarriba and ShengSheng He received prison sentences of 36 and 51 months, respectively.
The method reflects the pattern of “pig butchering” scams. These are a form of long-con fraud in which perpetrators first build trust with victims before exploiting them financially. Notably, these types of scams have been rising significantly.
In October, US prosecutors charged Cambodian national Chen Zhi with running forced-labor “pig butchering” crypto scams that allegedly stole billions from victims worldwide.
In a recent report, Chainalysis noted that high-yield investment programs (HYIP) and pig butchering scams remained the dominant fraud categories by volume in 2025. The blockchain analytics firm estimates that scams and fraud across the sector caused more than $17 billion in losses during the year.