Sting operations run by YouTubers produced videos that helped identify multiple suspects and reveal the fraud ring's structure. Federal agents in California, New York, Michigan and Texas arrested 25 of 28 indicted individuals, who face federal charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering in San Diego federal court. The ring allegedly scammed $65 million from more than 2,000 mostly elderly U.S. victims, average age at least 70, including a 97-year-old San Diego widow who lost her life savings. The organization reportedly consisted mainly of Chinese nationals working with Indian call centers and began as early as 2019.
Evidence collected during sting operations planned and carried out by YouTubers helped dismantle a massive Chinese organized crime group that allegedly scammed $65 million from more than 2,000 mostly senior victims across the United States, federal prosecutors in San Diego announced Wednesday. Not all heroes wear capes, San Diego-area U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said. Some have YouTube channels. RELATED: South Bay DA pushes for jail time in organized retail theft case that stretched across region Over the past week, federal agents in California, New York, Michigan and Texas arrested 25 of the 28 individuals indicted by a grand jury for allegedly participating in the fraud scheme.
Authorities said three YouTubers who ran coordinated scambait sting operations in 2020 and 2021 produced videos that directly helped investigators identify three of the 28 defendants who are now under indictment. The videos also helped shed light on how the conspiracy operated and led to the identification of high-level members of the organization, prosecutors said in a news release.
That included a 97-year-old San Diego woman and widow of a Holocaust survivor who prosecutors said was repeatedly defrauded until she'd lost her life savings. Our office will continue to be on the cutting edge of law enforcement techniques to ensure justice for vulnerable victims who have been defrauded by Chinese organized crime, Gordon said in a statement. According to court documents in the case and information provided by prosecutors, the alleged crime ring got its start as early as 2019.
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