On August 27, 2025, following a nationwide, weeklong takedown in the states of California, New York, Texas and Michigan, four federal grand jury indictments were unsealed against 28 alleged members of an organized crime ring, thanks to evidence collected by Pierogi from ScammerPayback and Art Kulik and Ashton Bingham from Trilogy Media.
According to federal officials, the group operated since at least 2019 with roots in Southern California and most members originating from China, with some having entered the States illegally. These criminals worked closely with Indian scam call centers as money mules to steal over $65 million from thousands of elderly American victims.
28 individuals were indicted on conspiracy charges of money laundering and committing mail and wire fraud, which combined boasts a maximum possible penalty of 60 years in prison and a combined $1,500,000 fine, or $1 million + twice the amount of monetary instruments involved in the offense if it exceeds $250,000. Of the 28 indicted, the following individuals were arrested:
In Indictment 1:
- Hua Wang, a 48-year-old from Flushing, NY
- Weining “Ning Ma” Su, a 27-year-old from Flushing, NY
In Indictment 2:
- Hongsen Cao, a 24-year-old from Los Angeles, California.
In Indictment 3:
- Zhiyi “Cream Pablo” Zhang, a 29-year-old from Los Angeles, California
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- Was arrested by federal agents at the Los Angeles International Airport on August 19, 2025
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- Is linked to at least $1.8 million in losses
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- Utilized short-term rentals under the alias “Hans Bun”
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- Was tied to a 2020 Microsoft refund scam operation with the intent of stealing $35,000
- Dudu “Norris” Chen, a 31-year-old currently in custody
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- Was associated to a 2020 Geek Squad refund scam, with the intent of stealing $5,000, when he was still attending college in California.
- Xaio Lei “Xiaolei” Xu, a 39-year-old from Flushing, NY
- Wen Chang Wang, a 26-year-old from Detroit, Michigan
- Jiawen “Johnny” Cai, a 28-year-old from Flushing, NY
- Xinyu Shao, a 27-year-old from Flushing, NY
- Zhuhan “Iron” Yin, a 30-year-old from Flushing, NY
- Ziyue “Chris” Zhao, a 30-year-old from Flushing, NY
- Guangli Lin, a 30-year-old from Flushing, NY
- Wenzhi Chen, a 23-year-old from Austin, Texas
- Jiaxin Wang, a 24-year-old from Flushing, NY
- Haotian “Kevin Z” Zhang, a 28-year-old from Flushing, NY
- Yuhui “Ian” Sung, a 27-year-old from Flushing, NY
- Jiaxin “YiYi” Jiang, a 26-year-old currently in custody.
- Dexiao “Prozac” Lin, a 27-year-old from Flushing, NY
- Zhiwei Chen, a 30-year-old from Levittown, NY
- Bing Shen, a 41-year-old from Flushing, NY
- Zetian Zhang, a 29-year-old from Flushing, NY
- Huajian “Marco” Chen, a 24-year-old from Austin, Texas
- Chongchong Li, a 29-year-old from Los Angeles, California.
- Jianhao “Gh” Ghao, a 31-year-old from Flushing, NY
In Indictment 4:
- Cheng Li, a 28-year-old currently in custody.
After executing dozens of search and seizure warrants, the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations and Internal Revenue Service (IRS)-Criminal Investigations seized over $4.2 million from bank accounts and several luxury vehicles, including a 2022 Mercedes-Benz G63, a 2024 Porche Panamera and a 2025 GMC Yukon Denali.