PHOENIX - Prosecutors in Maricopa County say a 21-year-old man has been sentenced for his role in a coordinated fraud scheme that targeted the elderly.
What we know:
In a statement released on March 16, officials said Jixiong Zhang has been sentenced to 3.5 years in prison.
Jixiong Zhang
"Zhang pleaded guilty to several felony charges in three different cases, including theft, money laundering, and helping a criminal organization," read a portion of the statement.
Per court documents released by prosecutors, Zhang was sentenced on March 10.
Dig deeper:
Prosecutors said between October and December 2024, Zhang acted as a courier in a scheme that targeted older people by claiming their bank accounts or online purchases had been compromised.
"Victims were told to withdraw large sums of cash and hand the money to couriers sent to collect it," read a portion of MCAO's statement. "The victims in the cases were 83, 93, 94, and 99 years old."
Investigators also said Zhang was found to have "collected or tried to collect more than $112,500 from them as part of the scheme."
What's next:
Court documents show that Zhang has a credit of 258 days for his sentence.
"Following the completion of his sentence, Zhang is expected to face immigration proceedings," officials with MCAO wrote.
The Source: Information for this article was gathered from a statement released by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.