ROCKVILLE, Md. — A 19-year-old from New York, Zhenyong Weng, was sentenced Thursday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to scamming an 82-year-old woman out of $900,000 and attempting to steal an additional $2.5 million.
Following the prison term, Weng will serve an 8.5-year suspended sentence, as ruled by the Montgomery County Circuit Court. He had faced up to 20 years in prison after admitting to three counts of theft, including conspiracy and attempted theft.
The scam, which lasted from April to July 2024, involved the elderly victim converting $900,000 of her savings into gold bars and handing them over to Weng.
Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy criticized the sentence, calling it too lenient. “Maryland’s sentencing guidelines for scams like this are grossly inadequate,” McCarthy said. “The state sought the maximum penalty of 20 years, especially given the international criminal networks behind these scams that primarily target seniors, leaving little chance of recovering their losses.”
Court records reveal that Weng and his associates manipulated the victim with false claims, including that the U.S. and Russian governments were stealing from her bank account. A caller, identifying himself as “Jeff,” convinced her to withdraw money, claiming it was necessary to protect her savings while awaiting a new Social Security number.
When Weng attempted to scam the victim for millions more, she became suspicious and contacted Montgomery County Police. Detectives set up a sting operation using the victim’s car, where Weng was caught attempting to collect what he thought was another gold bar.
According to court documents, Weng claimed he was paid $500 to $1,000 for each package he retrieved.
Gold bar scams plagued Montgomery County throughout 2024, with police identifying seven victims who collectively lost $6.3 million. Authorities believe these scams are part of an international crime ring specifically targeting older individuals.
“These schemes exploit vulnerable seniors, and couriers knowingly participate, traveling long distances to collect packages,” police stated in a May 2024 report.
