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Chinese National Sentenced to 46 Months for $37 Million Crypto Scam

Jingliang Su, a Chinese national, received a 46‑month sentence and over $28 million in restitution for a crypto fraud that cost at least 174 Americans $37 million.
28 January 2026 by
TechStora Editorial Board

Sentencing Details

Jingliang Su, a Chinese national, was sentenced to 46 months in prison after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to operate an illegal money‑transmitting business.

He was ordered to pay restitution of more than $28 million for a scheme that produced $37 million in losses for American victims.

Scale of the Scam

The fraud affected at least 174 Americans and involved eight co‑conspirators, one of whom—Shengsheng He—was sentenced to 51 months.

  • Victims were convinced to transfer funds to accounts controlled by the ring.
  • The money was laundered through shell companies or international bank accounts.
  • Stolen funds were converted to Tether’s dollar‑backed stablecoin, USDT.

Law‑Enforcement Response

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli noted that scammers used phones, social media, and fake internet sites to steal and then move money outside the United States.

Losses from crypto scams rose to more than $17 billion in the prior year, driven in part by AI‑enabled impersonation scams, according to Chainalysis.