A man has been convicted of his role in a scam that took hundreds of thousands of dollars from victims in California and Nevada, officials announced Monday.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California, 33-year-old Binghui Liu has pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to launder money. Prosecutors said Liu, a Chinese national, formerly resided in San Jose and had applied for asylum.
According to court filings, between February 2024 and April 2025, Liu and other co-conspirators impersonated government officials to defraud people. The scammers, posing as federal law enforcement officers or employees, falsely stated that criminal charges had been filed against the victims and that their bank accounts would be blocked.
Victims were instructed to withdraw their funds in cash and give it “for safekeeping” before a government agent arrived to collect it. The scammers utilized fictitious identities and code words and instructed the victims to photograph themselves with the cash packaged for pickup,” prosecutors said in a statement.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office cited the case of an elderly victim who was told by someone acting as a U.S. Marshal that the victim had an arrest warrant and that her bank accounts may be frozen. A scammer instructed the victim to “protect” their money by handing it over to individuals posing as Federal Reserve staff.
After withdrawing the money, Liu and other co-conspirators acting as federal officials collected it. Prosecutors claimed the victim had lost almost $700,000.
According to the US Attorney’s Office, Liu acted as a money launderer for other participants in the scam. According to officials, Liu stole approximately $597,100 from 24 victims in California and Nevada between March and April 2025.
On April 9, 2025, Liu was detained as part of a sting operation. Prosecutors claimed he went to a victim’s house and stole what he thought was $20,000, but it was a forgery.
Sentencing in the case is set for January 4, 2027. Liu faces a 20-year prison sentence and a $500,000 fine, or double the value of the property involved in the transaction, whichever is greater.
Anyone with additional information or who has been a victim of the scam is encouraged to visit tips.fbi.gov, contact 1-800-contact-FBI (1-800-225-5324), or visit a local FBI office.
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