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The Justice Department filed charges Thursday against two Chinese nationals allegedly behind an offshore money laundering scheme, as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro vowed that the Trump administration is “just beginning” to crack down on the schemes.
Pirro told reporters in Washington, DC, that cyber-enabled fraud and cryptocurrency investments are “among the fastest-growing and most financially damaging cybercrimes targeting Americans today.” The DOJ’s actions come after Pirro launched the Scam Center Strike Force in November last year, following an executive order from President Donald Trump.
“Today, we are announcing important milestones in that war. We have charged Chinese officials who ran a scam compound in Burma where thousands were trafficked, enslaved, beaten and forced to steal from Americans for years. We also seized the Telegram channel, and that channel was luring workers into a forced labor camp in Cambodia,” Pirro said. “There they were instructed to pose as American banks, like the New York City Police Department, to steal money from the American people.”
“We have taken down more than 500 websites. They are being used to steal the lifesaving money of the American people. My office will continue to work to identify the stolen funds,” added Pirro. “We have also recovered more than $700 million from US fraud victims. President Trump’s administration is locked in a crackdown on these criminals, and we’re just getting started.”
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The Department of Justice announced Thursday the charges against two Chinese nationals, Huang Xingshan, top right, and Jiang Wen Jie, bottom right, who “managed a cryptocurrency investment fraud in Burma,” shown left. (Department of Justice)
The Justice Department said two Chinese nationals, identified as Huang Xingshan and Jiang Wen Jie, were arrested in Thailand earlier this year after allegedly being linked to “fraudulent cryptocurrency investment activities” out of a Shunda compound in Burma. They have been charged with conspiracy to defraud and the United States is working to bring them back to the United States to face justice, according to Pirro.
“The Shunda compound operated from at least January 2025 until approximately November 2025, when it was taken over by the Karen National Liberation Army of Burma. The compound used scam websites and mobile applications disguised as legitimate investment platforms to defraud victims, including Americans,” the DOJ said. “The workers at the compound were trafficked persons who were arrested against their will and forced to cheat the victims under threats of violence and torture.”
“According to the investigation, Huang worked at Shunda as a senior manager and supervisor and personally participated in the punishment of trafficked computer workers. Jiang served as the leader of a team that specifically targeted workers who specifically targeted American victims,” the DOJ added. “Under Jiang’s direction, one of his subordinates defrauded a single American victim of more than $3 million using a fraudulent investment platform. The theft was celebrated within the organization as a measure of success.”
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U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announces charges related to a global car theft ring during a press conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC, Wednesday, April 22, 2026. (Nathan Howard/Reuters)
Officials said that after the Shunda compound was seized, “Huang and Jiang moved to another fraud organization located in Cambodia where they attempted to continue their cryptocurrency investment fraud” before their arrest.
“Strike Force conducted the first seizure of a Telegram channel with over 6,000 followers that was used to recruit people to travel to Cambodia under false promises of high-paying employment. Once there, the recruits were held against their will and forced to defraud victims, including Americans, as part of a complex DOJ law enforcement scheme.
On Thursday, Pirro asked Telegram founder Pavel Durov to shut down the channel.
“Now, the workers, however, who answered these tasks, end up pretending to be banks, like police, like prosecutors. They sound like Americans, directing Americans to extort their money or be prosecuted. They have backgrounds and backgrounds where they actually look like they come from an official institution,” said Pirro.
The calls the Department of Justice says were taken from the Shunda compound in Burma. (Department of Justice)
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“People, this is not true. You are attacking your neighbors, your friends, and your parents’ retirement accounts. Some of these victims are so sad that they end up killing themselves. This is economic murder,” he added. “We have seized the plots and we are coming to others. These criminals thought they were untouchable because they are overseas. Today they are proving that they are wrong and we are just getting started.”
