Home Economy Economic Activity Guilty pleas in scheme targeting elderly, including Rhode Islanders

Guilty pleas in scheme targeting elderly, including Rhode Islanders

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PBN Staff

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04/08/2026

DistrictCourt — TWO PEOPLE pleaded guilty in federal court in Rhode Island to their role in a transnational fraud scheme that targeted elderly victims in the United States, including Rhode Island. / COURTESY U.S. DISTRICT COURT

PROVIDENCE – Two people pleaded guilty to their role in a transnational fraud scheme that targeted elderly victims in the United States, including Rhode Island. Fangzheng Wang, 25, of Westborough, Mass., a Chinese national, and Cynthia Jia Sun, 25, of Houston, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in China, each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud

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PROVIDENCE – Two people pleaded guilty to their role in a transnational fraud scheme that targeted elderly victims in the United States, including Rhode Island. Fangzheng Wang, 25, of Westborough, Mass., a Chinese national, and Cynthia Jia Sun, 25, of Houston, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in China, each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in federal court in Rhode Island, U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island Charles C. Calenda announced on April 1. The pair are among eight people that were indicted in May 2025. Members of the alleged fraud ring sent pop-up messages to elderly people’s computers that appeared to have originated from well-known technology companies such as Apple, Microsoft and Paypal, according to court documents. The messages informed the victims that their computer had been hacked, that their financial accounts had been compromised or that they had been identified as the target of a criminal investigation. Those pop-up messages would redirect the victims to another fraudster posing as a “live agent,” who would then tell them that their financial assets were at risk. The fraudsters would then assure the victims that they could assist in protecting those assets. From there, the victims were then connected with scammers who would impersonate representatives from the victim’s financial institutions or government agencies, such as the Federal Reserve Bank and Federal Trade Commission. The victims would be instructed to send their money to the scammers via a wire or cryptocurrency transfer in order to “protect their assets,” according to court documents. Some victims were even asked to purchase gold bars, which were then handed over to one of the scammers posing as a government courier. At the time of indictment, upward of 300 victims across 37 states, including several in Rhode Island, defrauded in the alleged conspiracy have been identified, according to the Department of Justice. The victims are believed to have suffered more than $5 million in known losses. However, investigators said they have identified a bank account tied to the scheme with $16 million in additional suspected fraud proceeds that appear to have been laundered. The case, part of Operation Take Back America, is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Denise M. Barton. Sentencing is scheduled for July 8.