Elderly victims of a scam operation that tricked them out of their life savings packed a San Francisco courtroom today and told a federal judge they wanted the Chinese man accused of taking their money to stay locked up lest he flee or harm others.
Prosecutors say Weijie Zhu played a pivotal role in the fraud scheme – actually travelling to victims’ houses across the Bay Area to collect money and other valuables.
The mainly female targets were approached by email and phone by men pretending to be in positions of authority. They were told that they were victims of fraud, that they needed to act quickly to protect their assets and they weren’t to tell anyone else.
The Chinese green card holder arrived in the United States in 2017 with his parents whose immigration to the country, the court heard, was sponsored by his aunt. Zhu used an interpreter throughout the hearing and the court was also told that his parents are monolingual Cantonese speakers.
Victims reported that others they spoke to on the phone had European names but Indian accents.
“I think this man should be locked up for longer than the minimum because he has destroyed my life and the life of these other people. He is a very evil person to do this to the elderly.”
A victim, in her 80s, addressing the court with respect to Zhu
Today in courtroom B of San Francisco federal courthouse, a succession of victims bravely faced the man who they say took their money and told the judge that he ought to be detained before trial.
“At the time of this unfortunate incident my husband had recently passed away,” one lady victim told U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler. “I was in a state of confusion, stress and pain.”
She received a call, purporting to be from Apple’s fraud department, which implied that a computer and phone had been purchased by her. A man with an Irish name, but an Indian accent, told her that she ought immediately to move money out of her bank account to guard against fraud. Under time pressure, she withdrew $25,000 and waited for a ‘federal agent’ to arrive at her house to collect it.
Prosecutors say Weijie Zhu drove from his Oakland home to collect the cash. The man called back the next day and instructed the victim to buy $30,000 in gold coins from a local coin store. There, the scam came to an end when, after a conversation with the coin store employee, the victim realized that she was the victim of a con.
“Because of this terrible scam I had to install a video doorbell camera to keep me safe,” she said today. “I hope and pray he is kept in jail because he could really be a flight risk and hurt more people.”
“Mr Zhu and his gang have taken over a million dollars from me over the five months from February to June of 2025,” a lady victim in her 80s told the court. “I have no way to recoup that.”
She was contacted by email and phone by a man purporting to be from the Federal Trade Commission who said that her computer’s IP address had been flagged for fraud, money laundering and terrorism.
If she did not cooperate, she was told, her house would be seized and bank account frozen.
She was told to sell $850,000 worth of Apple stock, which she did. At the scammers’ direction she also liquidated her entire bank account and used the proceeds to purchase gold bars which she handed over to a man, said to be Zhu, who arrived at her home to collect them.
“I am ashamed of myself for not picking up on this,” the victim said.
“I think this man should be locked up for longer than the minimum because he has destroyed my life and the life of these other people. He is a very evil person to do this to the elderly.”
“[It] was one of the worst days of my life when he came to my home and took twenty-five thousand dollars,” another victim told the court. “This put me and my family in financial hardship.”
“I have a son that lives with me and wasn’t aware what was going on because I was being told on the phone ‘don’t tell anybody, don’t tell anybody’”.
“Because this person has done this over and over, and maybe even in worse cases than mine, he should never be released to keep doing this to other people.”
A female victim, appearing in court by Zoom, said she felt as if she had been hypnotized by the fraudsters.
“I am strongly requesting detention of the defendant,” she said, “a perpetrator who has caused great financial loss and grief to me and many people.”
“[If released] I fear that this offender will quickly aim to financially ruin countless others,” she added.
Another elderly lady victim said she had had to put off her retirement and keep working because of her loss.
“I really don’t trust him with all that he’s done to not take off or to do it again in the meantime,” she said. “It has happened too many times.”
At today’s hearing prosecutor Daniel Kassabian told the court that Zhu ought to be denied bail.
“We do believe that Mr Zhu is both a flight risk and a danger to the community,” he said.
“The flight risk stems from his Chinese citizenship, his recent travel back to China and his access to wealth and resources that are frankly unexplained.”
“The community danger is twofold as shown most recently by what happened during his arrest and search of his home [where] he had significant firearms [and] also had that home rigged…as an unlawful indoor marijuana grow.”
“But more significant is his potential danger to our community with respect to the crime he committed.”
Kassabian said that Zhu was part of a larger conspiracy and that more victims are coming to light “by the day” as investigations continue.
“It’s fairly clear that my client participated in a pickup of monies and property on many occasions, I don’t dispute that,” said Zhu’s attorney Jesse Garcia. “I think it’s telling that he arrives in his own vehicle and he makes no attempt at subterfuge. The real issue here is his level of knowledge of what was taking place. I don’t dispute that the loss was great.”
Garcia said he believed with more time he could provide the court with sufficient information to give the judge confidence to release his client.
Judge Beeler, who described the offense as “serious,” told attorneys to return to court on March 2.
Zhu remains in custody.
The case continues.
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