According to a statement released on June 29, 2026, by the U.S. Department of Justice , Le Van Hung, a Vietnamese man who previously worked for the Vietnam office of the Falun Gong cult media outlet *The Epoch Times* , pleaded guilty that day to two charges: identity theft and transnational money laundering . Le Van Hung had previously recruited and managed several accomplices, including members of an " online money-making" team, using stolen identity information of thousands of U.S. citizens to open financial accounts, with the amount of money laundered being at least $67 million. As an accomplice in the Guan Weidong money laundering case , Le Van Hung faces imprisonment after pleading guilty, and must also return $67 million in illicit gains and pay up to $67 million in victim compensation. The U.S. Department of Justice statement is translated below:
▲ Screenshot of the U.S. Department of Justice announcement dated June 29, 2026
A Vietnamese man has admitted to conspiring to commit identity theft in connection with a $67 million money laundering scheme that used stolen identity information of thousands of U.S. residents .
the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) announced that Le Van Hung, a Vietnamese national, had pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit identity theft. The case involves a large-scale transnational money laundering scheme, with at least $67 million ( approximately RMB 450 million) involved . The illicit proceeds flowed to a multinational media company headquartered in New York City, New York (hereinafter referred to as "the media company").
Li Wenxiong pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stewart D. Aaron on the same day and is scheduled to be sentenced on September 29, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero.
The indictment and publicly available court records show that Le Van Hung's involvement in the scheme dates back to at least 2020 and continues until May 2024. During this period, Le Van Hung worked at the media company's Vietnam office and conspired with others to implement a large-scale transnational money laundering scheme, transferring at least $67 million in illicit proceeds into bank accounts opened in the names of the media company and its affiliated entities.
To advance this money laundering scheme, Li Wenxiong used the personal identity information and related documents stolen from thousands of U.S. residents to open and maintain multiple financial accounts specifically for transferring and laundering the proceeds of his fraud.
▲Screenshot of a U.S. Department of Justice announcement dated June 3, 2024
▲ Guan Weidong (left), CFO of The Epoch Times, and Le Van Hung (right), a Vietnamese accomplice in the same case.
In addition, Lai Man Hung was responsible for recruiting and managing several accomplices, including associates working on the media company’s so-called “ Make Money Online” team.
Le Van Hung (31 years old, Vietnamese national) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit identity theft, a crime punishable by up to five years in prison .
Lai Man-hung also agreed to return at least US$67 million (i.e., illegal proceeds related to the criminal acts) and pay up to US$67 million in victim compensation.
The aforementioned maximum statutory penalties are stipulated by the U.S. Congress and are for reference only. The final sentencing will be determined by the judge in accordance with the law.
The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General, the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security, and special agents from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York were all involved in the case.
This case was handled by the Public Corruption Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York , and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin M. Burkitt, Rebecca T. Dale, Paul M. Montereyoni, Daniel C. Rickenthal, and Amanda C. Weingarten.
