Woman Gets 71 Months in Prison Over Bitcoin Investment Fraud Targeting Elderly Victims

A federal court sentenced a Saipan woman to 71 months in prison for orchestrating a Bitcoin investment fraud that targeted elderly victims across multiple states.

Sze Man Yu Inos, also known as “Yuki,” befriended older women in the U.S. territories of Saipan and Guam between November 2020 and January 2022 as part of her fraudulent scheme, prosecutors said. She falsely claimed to come from a wealthy Chinese family, own multiple businesses, and have success investing in Bitcoin to gain victims’ trust before defrauding them.

The 30-year-old’s scheme included forging a federal judge’s signature to facilitate her fraud, prosecutors said. The court ordered Inos to pay $769,355.67 in restitution to victims and imposed a criminal forfeiture judgment of $684,848.34.

Even after leaving the Marianas, Inos continued defrauding victims in Washington and California while her federal case was pending. The cross-state nature of her crimes escalated the federal prosecution and ultimately contributed to the severity of her sentence.

“The defendant built a career out of deception, leaving a trail of financial ruin stretching across several states and impacting dozens of innocent victims,” said FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter, in a statement. “By forging a federal judge’s signature to facilitate her schemes, the defendant acted with complete contempt for both the victims she exploited and the rule of law. The FBI remains steadfast in its mission to protect our citizens from criminals who profit through such heartless and brazen manipulation.”

Porter emphasized the calculated nature of Inos’s crimes, noting how she specifically targeted vulnerable elderly victims through fabricated stories about cryptocurrency success. The court imposed additional penalties including three years of supervised release, 100 hours of community service, and a $200 special assessment fee.

“Criminals engaged in affinity fraud prey on our willingness to trust others,” said United States Attorney Shawn Anderson, in a statement. “This defendant chose to target older women across multiple jurisdictions, resulting in substantial financial losses. She continued her scams while this case was pending. The punishment imposed by the court is well-deserved.”