Three Arrested for Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the arrest of Yongbo Li, 36, Huashan Lu, 62, and Yuxiang Zhao, 60, pursuant to a criminal complaint for conspiracy to commit mail fraud. If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. According to the criminal complaint, Li, Lu, Zhao, and others engaged in an organized fraud scheme that targeted victims through telephone calls, emails, and Internet pop-up messages, falsely claiming the victims’ personal information and financial accounts were compromised and that immediate action was needed to resolve the fabricated issue. The immediate action was almost always the mailing of cashier’s checks, money orders, or cash to P.O. boxes in and around the Orlando area. According to the criminal complaint, twenty-eight victims, most of them elderly, have been identified. A criminal complaint is merely a formal document supporting an arrest warrant that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Orlando Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Flanigan. On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.