PROVIDENCE – Xuehai Sun, 38, of Flushing, New York, has pleaded guilty in federal court in Rhode Island, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in an elaborate transnational fraud scheme that targeted elderly victims across the United States and Canada.
Sun appeared before U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy on September 30, 2026, and is scheduled to be sentenced on January 6, 2027. The sentence will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Conspiracy to commit wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison.
According to court documents, Sun participated in a complex fraud operation in which members of the conspiracy targeted seniors by sending pop?up messages to their computers. The messages were crafted to appear as though they came from legitimate technology companies and…
This remains the most prevalent form of financial crime globally. It targets the direct access points to your money: your cards and your bank accounts.
- Skimming: Criminals use small devices called “skimmers” placed over ATM or point-of-sale card slots to capture the data from your card’s magnetic strip.
- Card-Not-Present (CNP) Fraud: This occurs during online shopping where a physical card isn’t required. Thieves use stolen card numbers, expiry dates, and CVV codes to make unauthorized purchases.
- Account Takeover (ATO): A hacker gains access to your online banking credentials (often through malware or phishing) and changes the contact details or passwords, locking you out while they drain your funds.