PANews reported on June 10 that according to an announcement by the U.S. Department of Justice, five men pleaded guilty to participating in an international digital asset investment scam. The criminal group operated through a Cambodian fraud center and lured American victims to transfer funds into accounts controlled by it, involving more than $36.9 million. The main defendants include Joseph Wong, Jose Somarriba, Yicheng Zhang, Shengsheng He, and Jingliang Su in the Los Angeles area. The criminal method involved contacting victims through social media, phone calls, and dating apps to trick them into investing in fake digital asset projects. The funds were eventually converted into USDT stablecoins through a Deltec bank account in the Bahamas and transferred to a digital wallet controlled by the Cambodian fraud center. Eight accomplices have pleaded guilty so far, and the main offender faces up to 20 years in prison. The U.S. Secret Service led the investigation of the case, with the joint participation of multiple departments. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.