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The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced federal indictments against 28 alleged members of a Chinese organized crime network, accused of orchestrating a $65 million fraud scheme that preyed on thousands of senior citizens across the United States. Victims included a 97-year-old San Diego widow of a Holocaust survivor who lost her entire life savings.
According to the press release, “Twenty-eight alleged members of a Chinese organized crime ring are charged in four federal grand jury indictments with participating in a massive $65 million fraud scheme targeting thousands of seniors across the United States.”
The indictments follow a weeklong nationwide takedown in California, New York, Texas, and Michigan, where 25 of the defendants were arrested. Each is charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Federal investigators executed more than a dozen search and seizure warrants, recovering over $4.2 million from financial accounts and luxury vehicles, including a 2022 Mercedes-Benz G63, a 2024 Porsche Panamera, and a 2025 GMC Yukon Denali.
Operating since at least 2019, the ring—primarily composed of Chinese nationals, many in the U.S. illegally—collaborated with India-based scam call centers. Fraudsters posed as technical support agents, government officials, or bank employees, tricking victims with unsolicited calls and emails.
The DOJ noted: “The most common scheme involved convincing victims they had received a mistaken refund and pressuring—or threatening—them to return the supposed excess funds via wire transfer, cash, or gift cards.”
Victims were often instructed to send cash via express couriers, addressing packages to fake names tied to false IDs. Conspirators rotated through short-term rental properties to collect the funds and evade detection.
A remarkable element of the investigation was the role of cybercrime YouTubers. The DOJ credited “YouTuber Pierogi from ‘Scammer Payback’—which is known for exposing scammers—[who] played a crucial role in documenting key evidence.”
Pierogi, along with Trilogy Media, conducted sting operations, baiting scammers, confronting them on camera, and handing evidence to law enforcement. Their videos, published in 2020 and 2021, directly helped identify high-level conspirators such as Zhiyi Zhang, Dudu Chen, and Huajian Chen, who are now named in indictments.
In one case, the YouTubers delivered a decoy package to a rental property, confronting Zhiyi Zhang—who operated under aliases “Cream Pablo” and “Hans Bum.” Zhang admitted on camera to receiving packages for money, evidence later confirmed by law enforcement. Zhang was arrested on August 19, 2025, at Los Angeles International Airport.
The defendants face charges including:
- Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud (maximum 40 years in prison; $1 million fine).
- Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments (maximum 20 years in prison; $500,000 fine or twice the amount laundered).
Trial hearings are scheduled before U.S. District Judge Todd W. Robinson later this month and in September.
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