<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3G7Kh3_0wFRfuVy00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3G7Kh3_0wFRfuVy00" width="1280" height="853" ></figure><p>A California man has pleaded guilty to theft charges related to an <a href="https://www.sourceofthespring.com/montgomery-county-news/2819557/34-year-old-californian-arrested-in-multimillion-dollar-gold-bar-scam-targeting-elderly/">alleged gold bar scam</a>.</p><p>Wenhui Sun, a 34-year-old from Lake Arbor, California, pleaded guilty on Friday to multiple charges, including a theft scheme exceeding $100,000, actual theft over $100,000, attempted theft over $100,000, and conspiracy to commit theft over $100,000, according to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office.</p><p>Sun was involved in a scheme to defraud $1.1 million from an elderly woman living in the <a href="https://leisureworldmaryland.com/">Leisure World</a> community, resulting in the victim losing nearly $800,000 in gold bars.</p><p>In early March, a victim reported being contacted by an individual claiming to be from the Office of the Inspector General—Federal Trade Commission. The victim was informed of an alleged identity theft, which led to a federal investigation involving drugs and money laundering. The suspect then instructed the victim to transfer all assets into gold bars, which would be retrieved by a courier posing as an “FBI Agent” and taken to the U.S. Department of the Treasury for safekeeping.</p><p>Complying with the suspect’s demands, the victim completed two deliveries of gold bars worth over $789,000 to the couriers. Through the investigation, detectives identified Sun as the courier for the second delivery, <a href="https://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcgportalapps/Press_Detail_Pol.aspx?Item_ID=44957">Montgomery County Police said in a March press release</a>.</p><p>Sun was arrested in Montgomery County on March 18 following an operation conducted by the MCPD’s Financial Crimes Unit. He was transported to the Central Processing Unit and charged accordingly, where he was held without bond, and a plane ticket to California scheduled for the day of his arrest was found among his belongings.</p><p>Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy stated that the scam is believed to be linked to an international organized crime ring. <a href="https://www.sourceofthespring.com/silver-spring-news/2828396/police-nab-19-year-old-in-silver-spring-gold-bar-scam/">Similar gold bar scams have been reported in Montgomery County and the United States.</a> McCarthy hosted a joint news conference in August with Montgomery County Police, the FBI Baltimore Field Office, and Homeland Security Investigations to inform the public about these scams.</p><p>According to <a href="https://moco360.media/2024/10/18/california-man-prison-gold-bar-scam-leisure-world/">MoCo360</a>, Detective Sean Petty from the Montgomery County Police Department’s Fraud Division said at the August press conference that the police had identified seven cases in which residents collectively lost over $6.3 million due to gold bar schemes. Additionally, Petty mentioned that some victims also incurred losses through cryptocurrency conversions and cash pickups.</p><p>McCarthy said that Sun’s case marks the first conviction in Montgomery County.</p><p>“We are pleased that the first gold bar scam case to enter the courts in Montgomery County has resulted in a conviction,” McCarthy said. “As in this case, the scam often targets vulnerable victims who lose their life savings at a time when they are most dependent upon those funds to sustain themselves. We are grateful to the Montgomery County Police Fraud Division, in particular Detective Sean Petty for his tremendous work on this case. This is significant organized crime on an international level, and we will be seeking a sentence that reflects the seriousness of the impact on this victim.”</p><p>Sun faces up to 80 years in prison during his sentencing on December 9.</p><p><i>Photo: © Dabarti – stock.adobe.com</i></p><div style="position:relative;width:100%; height:0; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7m0IOQcys_4?feature=oembed" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" style="width:100%; height:100%;top:0; left:0; position:absolute"></iframe></div></div></body>

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California Man Pleads Guilty in $1.1 Million Gold Bar Scam Case

A California man has pleaded guilty to theft charges related to an alleged gold bar scam. Wenhui Sun, a 34-year-old from Lake Arbor, California, pleaded guilty on Friday to multiple charges, including a theft scheme exceeding $100,000, actual theft over $100,000, attempted theft over $100,000, and conspiracy to commit theft over $100,000, according to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office.