๐จ $73 MILLION CRYPTO SCAM โ 20 YEARS IN PRISON. IS THIS THE TURNING POINT? ๐จ
A dual national of China and St. Kitts & Nevis, Daren Li, has been sentenced to the statutory maximum of 20 years in U.S. federal prison for orchestrating a massive global crypto scam that devastated thousands of victims.
๐ธ What happened?
๐ฑ Victims contacted via social media & dating apps
๐ธ๏ธ Fake trading platforms & spoofed websites
๐ท๐ฃ Classic โpig-butcheringโ / phishing scam
๐ฐ $73.6M stolen in total
๐ฆ $59.8M laundered through U.S. shell companies
โ๏ธ According to the United States Department of Justice, the sentence reflects the gravity and scale of the harm caused โ and sends a clear message that cross-border crypto crime will be pursued globally ๐๐
๐งโโ๏ธ Case snapshot:
โณ 20 years in federal prison
๐ 3 years of supervised release
๐ฅ 8 co-conspirators already pleaded guilty
๐ Investigation led by U.S. Secret Service & HSI
๐ฅ Crypto scams are SURGING again in 2026
๐ January losses: $370M stolen
๐ฃ Phishing scams: $311M
๐ฅ Single social-engineering attack: ~$284M lost by one victim
๐ง The real question:
๐ Are harsher sentences enough โ or does crypto urgently need stronger prevention, smarter detection, and real compliance infrastructure?
๐ Stay alert. Verify everything. Trust no โguaranteed returns.โ
