Overview
- A federal judge in California sentenced Li in absentia to the statutory maximum of 20 years in prison plus three years of supervised release.
- Li remains a fugitive after cutting off his ankle monitoring device in December 2025 during pretrial release.
- Li pleaded guilty on Nov. 12, 2024 to conspiring to launder at least $73.6 million, with about $59.8 million funneled through U.S. shell-company bank accounts before conversion to cryptocurrency.
- Prosecutors said Cambodia-based scam centers used unsolicited messages, dating platforms, spoofed trading sites, and tech-support impersonation to build trust and extract funds from victims.
- Eight co-conspirators have pleaded guilty, and the U.S. Secret Service-led investigation continues with assistance from multiple domestic and foreign agencies.