Saipan woman gets 71 months for Bitcoin fraud

A federal court sentenced 30-year-old Sze Man Yu Inos, also known as Yuki, to 71 months in prison for a Bitcoin investment fraud that targeted elderly women across Saipan, Guam, Washington and California.

Prosecutors allege Inos befriended older women in Saipan and Guam between November 2020 and January 2022, telling victims she came from a wealthy Chinese family, owned multiple businesses and had made large profits investing in Bitcoin to gain their trust before asking for money.

While the federal case was pending, prosecutors allege Inos left the Marianas and continued similar schemes against victims in Washington and California.

Court records say the fraud included forged documents, including a federal judge’s signature, to facilitate transfers of funds.

The court ordered Inos to pay $769,355.67 in restitution and entered a criminal forfeiture judgment of $684,848.34. The sentence includes three years of supervised release, 100 hours of community service and a $200 special assessment fee.

Federal prosecutors charged Inos with wire fraud. Officials noted the interstate scope of the crimes brought the case under federal jurisdiction and influenced the sentence length.

FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter described Inos as having ‘built a career out of deception, leaving a trail of financial ruin stretching across several states and impacting dozens of innocent victims.’ He added that forging a judge’s signature showed ‘complete contempt for both the victims she exploited and the rule of law.’

United States Attorney Shawn Anderson called the case an example of affinity fraud, noting that ‘Criminals engaged in affinity fraud prey on our willingness to trust others.’ He added that the defendant continued scams while the case was pending and that the court’s punishment was deserved.

Investigators identified dozens of victims who suffered losses after placing trust in Inos’s investment claims.