Daren Lee was detained on April 12, 2024 at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport, and Yicheng Zhang was detained on May 16, 2024 in Los Angeles. According to Justice Department documents, the attackers tricked victims into transferring millions of dollars to bank accounts of shell companies.
US Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said that the funds received were transferred to international accounts of Deltec Bank in the Bahamas and cryptocurrency platforms.
The crypto wallet used by the scammers received over $341 million in cryptocurrency. Daren Li and Yichen Zhang, investigators insist, managed to launder $73 million through shell companies.
The case is being investigated by the United States Secret Service's Fugitive Operations Center, the Department of Justice's Office of Foreign Affairs and the El Camino Financial Crimes Task Force.
Those arrested were charged with conspiracy to launder funds, participation in an organized criminal group, and creation of fictitious financial companies. If the perpetrators are found guilty, they face long prison sentences.
Earlier, Canadian law enforcement officers arrested the self-proclaimed crypto king Aiden Pleterski, who created the collapsed crypto project AP Private Equity.
Source: Bits
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