Woman Gets 71 Months in Prison Over Bitcoin Investment Fraud Targeting Elderly Victims

A national tribunal sentenced a Saipan woman to 71 months successful situation for orchestrating a Bitcoin concern fraud that targeted aged victims crossed aggregate states.

Sze Man Yu Inos, besides known arsenic "Yuki," befriended older women successful the U.S. territories of Saipan and Guam betwixt November 2020 and January 2022 arsenic portion of her fraudulent scheme, prosecutors said. She falsely claimed to travel from a affluent Chinese family, ain aggregate businesses, and person occurrence investing successful Bitcoin to summation victims' spot earlier defrauding them.

The 30-year-old's strategy included forging a national judge's signature to facilitate her fraud, prosecutors said. The tribunal ordered Inos to wage $769,355.67 successful restitution to victims and imposed a transgression forfeiture judgement of $684,848.34.

Even aft leaving the Marianas, Inos continued defrauding victims successful Washington and California portion her national lawsuit was pending. The cross-state quality of her crimes escalated the national prosecution and yet contributed to the severity of her sentence.

“The suspect built a vocation retired of deception, leaving a way of fiscal ruin stretching crossed respective states and impacting dozens of guiltless victims," said FBI Honolulu Special Agent successful Charge David Porter, successful a statement. "By forging a national judge’s signature to facilitate her schemes, the suspect acted with implicit contempt for some the victims she exploited and the regularisation of law. The FBI remains steadfast successful its ngo to support our citizens from criminals who nett done specified heartless and brazen manipulation.”

Porter emphasized the calculated quality of Inos's crimes, noting however she specifically targeted susceptible aged victims done fabricated stories astir cryptocurrency success. The tribunal imposed further penalties including 3 years of supervised release, 100 hours of assemblage service, and a $200 peculiar appraisal fee.

“Criminals engaged successful affinity fraud prey connected our willingness to spot others,” said United States Attorney Shawn Anderson, successful a statement. “This suspect chose to people older women crossed aggregate jurisdictions, resulting successful important fiscal losses. She continued her scams portion this lawsuit was pending. The punishment imposed by the tribunal is well-deserved.”