A federal grand jury in Cleveland has indicted two men for allegedly defrauding elderly residents in Northeast Ohio out of thousands of dollars. The accused, Jinrong Shi from New York and Jiyang Zhong, a Chinese national residing in Little Neck, New York, are said to have operated scams targeting senior citizens using “grandparent” and “tech support” schemes during May and June 2024.
In tech support scams, victims were misled into believing their electronic devices or online accounts were compromised. They were then convinced to pay for fake assistance. In grandparent scams, perpetrators impersonated law enforcement officials to convince elderly victims that their grandchildren needed immediate financial help due to legal troubles.
The indictment claims Shi and Zhong worked with co-conspirators who collected money from the victims after they withdrew cash from their bank accounts. These conspirators included “fraud callers,” who obtained victim details, and “fraud couriers,” who collected cash or valuables from the victims’ homes. Victims were sometimes instructed to mail cash to locations controlled by the conspiracy members. Over $201,000 was reportedly taken from Ohio victims.
Proceeds from these activities were allegedly laundered across state lines through various methods, including cryptocurrency account holders based in China.
Shi faces charges including conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering conspiracy, and concealment of money laundering. Zhong is charged with similar offenses except for concealment of money laundering. Both face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Each defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court considering factors unique to this case. Sentences will not exceed statutory maximums and may often be less.
An indictment is an accusation but not proof of guilt; defendants are entitled to a fair trial where the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The FBI Cleveland Division conducted the investigation leading to this indictment. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. McDonough is prosecuting the case for the Northern District of Ohio with cooperation from the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office and Cleveland Heights Police Department.
This case responds to the Elder Justice Initiative Program under the Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act of 2017 (EAPPA), aimed at combating elder abuse and financial fraud against seniors.
To raise awareness about elder financial abuse, the USAO issued an announcement warning about scams targeting seniors during Elder Abuse Awareness Month.
Reports of suspected elder financial abuse can be submitted at tips.fbi.gov/home or justice.gov/elderjustice/financial-exploitation.
