Chinese National in YouTube Video Pleads Guilty in $27 Million Multinational Fraud Scheme Targeting 2,000 Seniors

SAN DIEGO - Jiandong Chen, aka "Little Tiger," pleaded guilty in federal court today and admitted he participated in a $27 million fraud and money laundering scheme targeting approximately 2,000 elderly victims across the United States.

Chen, a Chinese national, is the second defendant charged in a five-defendant indictment unsealed in 2024. According to public documents, members of the conspiracy operated a series of technical support, bank impersonation, government impersonation and refund scams targeting elderly victims. Victims received unsolicited phone calls, emails, and pop-up ads directing victims to call a phone number. Unbeknownst to the victims, those phone numbers belonged to India-based scam call centers.

Once a victim called the call center, members of the conspiracy used social engineering techniques to build trust with the victim. In many instances, the conspirators had victims download commercially available remote desktop software, which the conspirators used to access victims' computers and to carry on the scams.

One of the most frequent scams was a refund scam. Victims were told they were entitled to a small refund, for example, from a retailer for an alleged unauthorized charge. While pretending to process the refund, the victim would be accidentally "over-refunded" money. The conspirators would then instruct the victim to send the alleged over-refunded money through wire transfer or in cash via express mail to members of the conspiracy. In reality, the victims had not received any money.

After building trust with a victim, the conspirators would induce victims to send money to members of the conspiracy in the United States, in locations throughout Southern California, Nevada and elsewhere. The money was sent to members of the conspiracy, including Chen, most often as bulk cash via express mail packages but also as wire transfers. Certain members of the conspiracy also did in-person pickups of money directly from victims.

In one such instance captured in a YouTube video, defendant Chen traveled to a residence in the Los Angeles area to pick up bulk cash from someone he believed to be an elderly victim of the fraud scheme. In a video posted to YouTube entitled "CONFRONTING SCAMMERS WITH A FAKE FUNERAL (EPIC REACTIONS)," Chen was confronted by a team of YouTubers about working for a scam organization. Here's the videoLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..

In most instances, however, victims were duped into sending bulk cash in the mail. When that would happen, members of the conspiracy would provide India-based co-conspirators a fictitious name plus an address of a retail location that could accept express mail packages. Those names and addresses would then be relayed to the victims, who were instructed to express mail the bulk cash. Then, once a victim had sent the cash in the mail, Chen and his co-conspirators would use fake IDs to get the packages of cash sent by the elderly victims.

In his plea agreement, Chen admitted that he used fraudulent driver's licenses or IDs matching the fictitious recipient names to retrieve the victim packages containing bulk cash.

Investigators identified over 2,000 elderly victims from throughout the country, including victims in San Diego, who were defrauded and who suffered more than $27 million in losses over an approximately two-year period between 2021-2023. Victims were in their 70s and 80s. Chen also admitted that he and his co-conspirators laundered fraud proceeds through cryptocurrency to transfer funds to foreign-based counterparts, to pay co-conspirators, and to fund travel to retrieve cash packages sent by victims, including trips to Las Vegas, Nevada.

Chen and four co-defendants were charged by indictment in June 2024. In August 2024, federal agents conducted a nationwide takedown of this investigation, which led to Chen's arrest in the greater Los Angeles area.

A sentencing hearing for Chen is scheduled for June 26, 2026, at 9 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Robert S. Huie.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Mokhtari.

DEFENDANT Case Number 24-cr-1317-RSH-02

Jiandong Chen, aka "Little Tiger" Age: 42 Los Angeles, CA

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud - Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1349, 2326

Maximum Penalties: Forty years in prison; $1 million fine

Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments - Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1956(a)(1)(A)(i), 1956(a)(1)(B)(i) and 1956(h)

Maximum Penalties: Twenty years in prison; maximum fine of $500,000 or twice the amount laundered

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation - Office of Inspector General

Homeland Security Investigations

San Diego County District Attorney's Office
San Diego County Sheriff's Department

San Diego Police Department

San Diego Elder Justice Task Force

Chino Police Department

Coronado Police Department

Escondido Police Department

Glendora Police Department

Long Beach Police Department

Orange County Sheriff's Department

*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.