A Chinese man who appeared in a viral YouTube sting has admitted he was part of a massive fraud scheme that targeted elderly victims across the United States.
Jiandong Chen, 42, known as “Little Tiger,” pleaded guilty in federal court to charges tied to a $27 million conspiracy involving fraud and money laundering, federal prosecutors said.
Authorities say the operation ran from 2021 through 2023 and victimized more than 2,000 people, many in their 70s and 80s.
The scams ranged from fake tech support calls to impersonations of banks and government agencies, along with so-called refund schemes designed to trick victims into sending money they never actually received.
Chen was one of five people charged in a case unsealed in 2024. He was arrested in the Los Angeles area during a nationwide enforcement effort that August.
He is now scheduled to be sentenced on June 26 and faces up to 40 years in prison for fraud conspiracy, plus up to 20 years for money laundering conspiracy.
The case gained public attention after Chen appeared in a YouTube video titled “CONFRONTING SCAMMERS WITH A FAKE FUNERAL (EPIC REACTIONS),” which has drawn more than 1 million views.
In the video, Chen arrives at a home in the Los Angeles area expecting to collect cash from what he believed was an elderly victim, only to be confronted by content creators staging a sting.
During the encounter, Chen used translation technology and claimed he only spoke Chinese.
Prosecutors say victims were typically contacted through unsolicited calls, emails or pop-up messages and then directed to phone numbers linked to call centers in India.
Sign up for the California Morning Report newsletter
California’s top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.
Thanks for signing up!
Once engaged, scammers used social engineering tactics to build trust, sometimes convincing victims to install remote access software that allowed entry into their computers.
A common tactic involved refund scams, where victims were told they were owed money and then were misled into believing they had received too much. They were instructed to return the nonexistent overpayment by wiring money or sending cash through the mail.
After gaining trust, members of the scheme directed victims to send money to locations across the United States, including Southern California and Nevada.
In some cases, cash was picked up in person.
Chen also admitted that he and others moved the stolen money using cryptocurrency, which was used to pay co-conspirators, transfer funds overseas and cover travel tied to the operation.
He now awaits sentencing, where the viral moment that exposed him may be the least of his problems.
Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters
California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedIn
California Post Sports Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X
California Post Opinion
California Post Newsletters: Sign up here!
California Post App: Download here!
Home delivery: Sign up here!
Page Six Hollywood: Sign up here!
