Chinese national pleads guilty to defrauding elderly victims throughout Florida

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Xin Liu, 40, a Chinese national who was living in Apopka, pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the guilty plea today.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Elder fraud is a devastating crime that is growing increasingly common, as fraudsters like this alien and her China-based co-conspirators prey upon our vulnerable retiree population to enrich themselves. Stopping elder fraud depends upon educating the public about schemes like this and encouraging victims to report these crimes to law enforcement as quickly as possible. My office will continue to investigate and aggressively prosecute every member of these fraud schemes to hold them accountable for their heinous crimes and achieve justice for their victims.”

Court records show that while Liu was in the United States pursuant to an H-1B visa, she conspired with a person from the northern region of China and others to defraud elderly victims by using fraudulent telephone calls and electronic messages. Liu’s role in the conspiracy was to pick up packages of cash and deliver them to other conspirators. Between July 22, 2025, and July 30, 2025, on at least six separate occasions, Liu drove to various locations throughout Florida and picked up or attempted to pick up more than $95,000 from the victims. One of the victims lived in an assisted living apartment complex for seniors in Gainesville, Florida. Liu personally verified the contents of each package and was paid with a portion of the fraud proceeds. Liu’s actions resulted in substantial financial hardship to at least one victim.

Original arrest

Liu’s original arrest

Liu was booked into the Alachua County Jail on November 27, 2025; the Alachua County case began when the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) asked the Gainesville Police Department (GPD) to make contact with a victim in Gainesville after Liu was arrested in Manatee County for participating in a scheme to defraud victims via cyber intrusion and phone scams. The MCSO detective said the Gainesville victim’s address was found in Liu’s phone.

The Gainesville victim told a GPD detective that he had been the victim of a scam but had not reported it because he was embarrassed. The victim, who was 72 years old, said he believed he had lost $60,000 in the scam but could only confirm the amounts of two transactions; he said one of those involved an Asian female who came to his house on July 30 to pick up $15,000.

The victim said the scam began with a pop-up on his computer; he clicked on it and received a call from someone who said they were with the Department of the Treasury and claimed people had taken his identity and had been slowly removing money from his account to purchase Bitcoin. The victim allowed that person to remotely log in to his computer to “verify this” for him, and then they convinced him to send them money “to resolve the issues.” The victim said they told him not to speak to his bank because the suspects had accomplices inside his bank.

In one instance, the victim was told to transfer $20,000 to a Wells Fargo account; he also said he mailed money to a business in California, but he could not recall the amount of that transaction

Liu faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment and is expected to be deported after serving her sentence

Liu faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment and is expected to be transferred for deportation proceedings at the conclusion of her sentence. Sentencing is scheduled for June 16, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., at the United States Courthouse in Gainesville, Florida before Chief United States District Judge Allen C. Winsor.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations and the Gainesville Police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Adam Hapner is prosecuting the case.

If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has experienced financial fraud, experienced professionals are standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Justice Department hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, can provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish, and other languages are available.

More information about the department’s efforts to help American seniors is available at www.justice.gov/elderjustice. For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts visit www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Elder fraud complaints can be filed with the FTC at www.reportfraud.ftc.gov/ or at 877-FTC-HELP. The Justice Department provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, at www.ovc.gov.