Brooklyn resident Zhenyong Weng was arrested last year after preying on an 82-year-old Silver Spring woman by reaching out to her and instructing her to transfer her assets into gold bars to keep Russian hands off.
The woman complied, police say, and handed off several packages worth an estimated $900,000 in gold bars, while planning to scam approximately $2.5 million more, according to prosecutors.
On Tuesday, Jan. 21, the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office said that Weng has pleaded guilty to attempted theft and conspiracy to commit theft over $25,000 to under $100,000.
In July 2024, officers from the Montgomery County Department of Police intercepted Weng in Silver Spring when he attempted to collect a package from the woman valued at an estimated $70,000.
Weng was taken into custody by officers working with the Financial Crimes Section and the Violent Crimes Information Center investigators said.
Court documents state that the woman received an alert on the monitor of her computer directing her to call a number, which she did, kicking off the scheme.
At the direction of unknown suspects, the woman continued purchasing gold bars that were handed off to couriers.
In total, more than $900,000 in gold bars were collected by fraudsters during the scam.
“The Maryland State Sentencing Guidelines for non-violent, white-collar crime are typically low and were not designed to deal with international organized crime," he said. "The guidelines for this defendant call for a sentence of probation to six months in jail.
"Due to the complexity of the Gold Bar Scam cases and the vulnerable nature of the 82-year-old victim, the State will be seeking a sentence that far exceeds the sentencing guidelines and reflects the seriousness of these offenses."
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