46 Months for $37 Million: Chinese National Sentenced for Role in Cambodian Crypto Scam Ring
Do Son 
Chinese national Jingliang Su has been sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for laundering millions of dollars stolen from American investors. The scheme, which siphoned over $36.9 million from 174 victims, was orchestrated from scam centers in Cambodia—hubs notorious for industrial-scale fraud often fueled by human trafficking.
The sentencing, handed down by United States District Judge R. Gary Klausner, also orders Su to pay nearly $26.9 million in restitution. Su, who pleaded guilty in June 2025 to conspiracy to operate an illegal money transmitting business, served as a financial conduit for a network that “weaponize[d] the internet for fraud,” according to Justice Department officials.
The operation followed the blueprint of what is now grimly known as “pig butchering”. The term refers to the practice of “fattening” a victim with trust and fake returns before “slaughtering” them financially.
According to court documents, the scam unfolded in three ruthless stages:
- The Hook: Overseas co-conspirators contacted victims via “unsolicited social media interactions, telephone calls, text messages, and online dating services.” Using fake personas, they spent weeks or months building romantic or friendly relationships.
- The Feed: Once trust was established, the scammers introduced a “fraudulent digital asset investment” opportunity. Victims were directed to fake websites designed to look like legitimate trading platforms. “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,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli.
- The Slaughter: Victims watched their fake portfolios grow on screen, unaware that their money was gone the moment they sent it. When they attempted to withdraw funds, the scammers vanished or demanded more money for “taxes” and “fees.”
Su’s role was not to send the texts, but to clean the cash. The Department of Justice (DOJ) detailed a complex laundering cycle designed to obscure the money trail:
- Step 1: Victim funds were transferred to U.S. bank accounts controlled by Su and his co-conspirators.
- Step 2: The network aggregated over $36.9 million into a single account at Deltec Bank in the Bahamas.
- Step 3: Su and his partners directed the bank to convert the stolen fiat currency into Tether (USDT), a stablecoin favored by money launderers for its liquidity and stability.
- Step 4: The USDT was transferred to digital wallets controlled by the syndicate in Cambodia, where it was finally distributed to the “leaders of scam centers throughout the region.”
Su is not the only domino to fall; eight other co-conspirators have already pleaded guilty. This includes ShengSheng He and Jose Somarriba, who were sentenced to 51 and 36 months in prison, respectively, for their roles in the same conspiracy.
Since 2020, the DOJ’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) has secured convictions against over 180 cybercriminals and court orders for the return of more than $350 million in victim funds.
Related Posts:
- 300,000 Forced to Scam: Meta’s Report Reveals Staggering Scale of “Pig Butchering”
- “Pig Butchering” Scam: Cybercriminals Prey on Mobile Trading Enthusiasts
- DOJ Seizes Domain of Burma’s Notorious Tai Chang Scam Compound to Disrupt ‘Pig Butchering’ Fraud
- Pig Butchers Enter the Gig Economy, Targeting Job Seekers in Cryptocurrency Scams
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