A US court sentenced a Chinese citizen to 46 months in prison for his role in laundering nearly $37 million stolen through a cryptocurrency investment scam.
The scammers operated through fake platforms and transferred funds in USDT, concealing their origin.
Chinese citizen Jingliang Su was sentenced in the US to 46 months in federal prison for his role in laundering nearly $37 million stolen from American citizens through a cryptocurrency investment scam. The fraudulent scheme operated from Cambodia and targeted victims in the US.
According to the US Department of Justice, 45-year-old Su pleaded guilty to conspiracy and operating an illegal money transmitter business. The court also ordered him to pay more than $26.8 million in restitution to the victims. The sentence was handed down by Federal Judge R. Gary Klausner.
How the crypto scam worked
The scam began with contact through social media, messaging apps, and dating sites. Having gained trust, the scammers offered "profitable" investments in digital assets and directed victims to fake trading platforms that were indistinguishable from the real deal.
Su's case is part of a broader campaign by the US Department of Justice against crypto fraud. Authorities are intensifying investigations into international schemes and are noting a sharp increase in losses: according to the department, total losses from fraud cases will exceed $16 billion in 2025—almost double the amount in the previous year.