The U.S. Department of Justice announced that Chinese national Jingliang Su was sentenced to 46 months in prison for his role in laundering more than USD 36.9 million from victims of a fraudulent digital asset investment scheme operated from scam centers in Cambodia. The court also ordered Su to pay USD 26,867,242.44 in restitution, following his June 2025 guilty plea to conspiracy to operate an illegal money transmitting business. Court documents describe an international network that solicited U.S. victims through unsolicited social media interactions, calls, texts and online dating services, then steered them to fake websites resembling legitimate cryptocurrency trading platforms. Victim funds were routed through U.S. shell companies, international bank accounts and digital asset wallets, including transfers from U.S.-controlled accounts to a single account at Deltec Bank in the Bahamas, which was directed to convert funds into the stablecoin Tether (USDT) and transmit them to a wallet controlled in Cambodia; the government identified 174 U.S. victims. Eight co-conspirators have pleaded guilty to date, including Jose Somarriba and ShengSheng He, who received 36-month and 51-month prison sentences, respectively.
U.S. Department of Justice 2026-01-27
U.S. Department of Justice sentences Chinese national to 46 months for laundering USD 36.9 million from Cambodia-linked crypto scam targeting 174 Americans
The U.S. Department of Justice sentenced Chinese national Jingliang Su to 46 months in prison for laundering over USD 36.9 million from a fraudulent digital asset scheme, with restitution set at USD 26,867,242.44. The scheme involved an international network targeting U.S. victims through fake cryptocurrency platforms, with funds routed via shell companies and converted to Tether (USDT) in the Bahamas; eight co-conspirators pleaded guilty.