Montgomery County Police have arrested a California man for allegedly stealing $789,000 in gold from an elderly Montgomery County woman. According to WUSA 9, one encounter between the suspect and victim occurred in a Walgreen’s parking lot, near the victim’s home at Leisure World.
Per the news release: 34-year-old, Wenhui Sun, of Lake Arbor, California has been arrested for allegedly targeting elderly individuals through a government-imposter related gold bar scam.
In early March of 2024, a victim reported that she had been contacted by an individual who identified himself as being with the Office of the Inspector General – Federal Trade Commission. The victim was advised that she had been the victim of an identity theft which led to a federal investigation involving drugs and money laundering. The victim was then directed to transfer all assets into gold bars, which would then be retrieved by a courier who is an “FBI Agent” to take to the US Department of Treasury for safekeeping.
The victim complied with the suspect’s demands and completed two separate deliveries of gold bars to the couriers, worth over $789,000. Through the course of the investigation, detectives were able to identify Sun as the courier of the second delivery of gold bars.
On Monday, March 18, 2024, at approximately 7 p.m., Sun was arrested in Montgomery County, following an operation conducted by the Montgomery County Department of Police- Financial Crimes Unit.
Sun was transported to the Central Processing Unit where he was charged accordingly. He is currently being held without bond. At the time of Sun’s arrest, a plane ticket to California, dated for the day of his arrest was located in his belongings. Detectives believe there may be additional victims and want to remind the community that law enforcement will never attempt to contact you in this manner.
Anyone with information regarding this suspect or this crime is asked to visit the Crime Solvers of Montgomery County, MD website at www.crimesolversmcmd.org (http://www.crimesolversmcmd.org/) and click on the “www.p3tips.com (http://www.p3tips.com/)” link at the top of the page or call 1-866-411-8477. A reward of up to $10,000 is offered for information leading to the suspect’s arrest. Tips may remain anonymous.
For additional information regarding frauds and scams or to learn how to report a situation, please visit https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/pol/fraud/financial-crimes-section.html.
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