PITTSBURGH, PA — Two residents of Santa Ana, California, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of money laundering conspiracy, announced United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan.
Thien Phuc Tran, age 33, and Ton Huynh Bui, age 30, both of Santa Ana, CA pleaded guilty on Wednesday, October 4, 2023, to One Count before United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Tran and Bui were part of a wide-ranging criminal conspiracy which had two overall elements – a fraud scheme to deprive victims of money, and then a second scheme to launder the fraudulently obtained funds. Tran and Bui were part of the money laundering scheme. Vulnerable victims all across the United States, often elderly, were convinced through nefarious means, including computer pop-ups followed by telephone calls from co-conspirators operating out of call centers in India to send their money to bank accounts created with stolen Personally Identifiable Information (PII). Typically, the pop up on their computer screen would appear to be from a tech company, such as Microsoft, urging the user to call a number. When the victim called the number, the victim was told that his or her identity had been compromised, and would be convinced to send their money to a particular bank account opened by Tran and Bui with stolen PII . Tran was involved in the laundering of $4,247,973.23 in fraud proceeds. Bui is responsible for a lesser amount: $194,278.45
Judge Ranjan scheduled sentencing for January 24, 2024. The law provides for a total sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction, whichever is greater, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, the court continued bond for both Tran and Bui.
Assistant United States Attorneys Stephen R. Kaufman and Robert S. Cessar are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Secret Service conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Tran and Bui.
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