Suspects Plead Guilty in Elder Scam Case

Two individuals from Southern California have acknowledged their involvement in a shocking scam that targeted an elderly man from Ventura, leading to a loss of $25,000. Prosecutors report that the scammers deceived the victim by falsely claiming his bank account was tied to child sexual abuse material.

Eric Nasarenko, the Ventura County District Attorney, announced that Xiaohua Sun, from Monterey Park, and Yangwen Gu, from Rosemead, both entered guilty pleas to conspiracy to commit elder abuse, among other charges.

The scheme reportedly commenced on March 18 when the elderly man received a text warning him about a supposed $350 purchase made with his credit card at an Apple Store. The message urged him to call a number “immediately.”

Upon making the call, an unidentified person allegedly told him that his account at a local credit union was linked to illegal materials from Canada.

This frightened victim was then advised to reach out to a so-called “Ventura County Credit Union Fraud Bureau.” A woman identifying herself as “Jade” allegedly instructed him to withdraw $25,000 in cash to hand to someone pretending to be an undercover police officer.

The scammers even provided a “code phrase” that the victim was to repeat before transferring the money.

Following these instructions, the victim met with an unknown accomplice and, after listening to his directions, handed over the cash. It wasn’t long before he and his spouse started to feel uneasy about the situation and contacted Ventura police.

The next day, while detectives were interviewing the victim, “Jade” reached out again, demanding an additional $50,000.

This prompted police to set up a pursuit operation. On March 19, Tani approached the victim, accepted the code phrase, and supposedly received more cash just before officers intervened and arrested him as he tried to escape.

Authorities later found that Sun was acting as a lookout during this attempted collection, while Gu was apprehended right after receiving the cash.

“These scams are very sophisticated and often target older adults,” said Ventura Police Chief David Dickey. “We encourage everyone to talk to their loved ones about these tactics and report any suspicious activity immediately.”

Gu pled guilty on May 11 and is set to be sentenced on June 9, while Sun pleaded guilty on May 7, returning $25,000 in stolen money, and is scheduled for sentencing on June 12.

Both are currently held on $500,000 bail and could face up to four years in prison, plus two years of probation.