Flushing Fraud: NY Man Pleads Guilty In RI To Elder Fraud Plot, US Attorney Says

A New Yorker pleaded guilty in Rhode Island to plotting to bilk the elderly in an internet scam, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Xuehai Sun, 38, pleaded to conspiracy to commit wire fraud "for his role in an elaborate transnational fraud scheme that targeted elderly victims across the United States and Canada," the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a media release.

The release cited court documents and said Sun, a resident of Flushing, Queens, "participated in a complex fraud operation in which members of the conspiracy targeted seniors by sending pop‑up messages to their computers."

"The messages were crafted to appear as though they came from legitimate technology companies and falsely warned victims that their computers had been hacked, that their bank accounts had been compromised, or that they were under investigation," the release said.

"Victims were instructed to call a 'live agent' who falsely claimed to be able to help safeguard their financial assets. During a series of calls, victims were connected to other members of the conspiracy posing as representatives of financial institutions or government agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Reserve Bank," according to the release.

"Victims were then deceived into transferring funds and other assets — via wire transfers, cryptocurrency, or even by withdrawing cash to purchase gold bars — to accounts purportedly controlled by government agencies," the release said. "In reality, the funds were directed to individuals involved in the fraud scheme."

Sun admitted he had persons working for him as couriers to pick up the cash or gold, according to the release.

"Sun also admitted that he communicated with other co-conspirators about the coordination and dispatch of couriers to pick up gold and cash from victims, the transport of the gold and cash to conspiracy members, the amounts owed to conspiracy members, and the conversion of gold to cash," the release said.

Sun's sentencing was scheduled for Jan. 6.

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