SAN DIEGO – Twenty-eight alleged members of a Chinese organized crime ring are charged in four federal grand jury indictments with participating in a massive $65 million fraud scheme targeting thousands of seniors across the United States—including a 97-year-old San Diego widow of a Holocaust survivor who lost her entire life savings.

After a nationwide, weeklong takedown in California, New York, Texas and Michigan, 25 of the defendants have been arrested; all are charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Federal agents from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and IRS-Criminal Investigations executed more than a dozen search and seizure warrants this week. The searches resulted in the seizure of more than $4.2 million from financial accounts as well as several luxury vehicles, including a 2022 Mercedes-Benz G63, a 2024 Porsche Panamera, and a 2025 GMC Yukon Denali.

Operating since at least 2019 and rooted in Southern California, the criminal network—primarily composed of Chinese nationals, many in the U.S. illegally—worked closely with India-based scam call centers. Fraudsters who took the calls posed as technical support agents, government officials, or bank employees, according to court records.