The international investigation into cryptocurrency “pig-butcher” schemes has resulted in more than 275 arrests, including six people who now face charges in San Diego.
The Justice Department announced on April 29 that at least 276 people allegedly linked to cryptocurrency fraud schemes had been arrested, and that “at least nine scam centers” used to facilitate the operations had been dismantled. These schemes allegedly siphoned millions of dollars from Americans’ bank accounts.
The department said the success of the investigation was due to the “unprecedented cooperation between the FBI, Dubai Police Department and the Chinese Ministry of Public Security”.
“Fraudsters targeting Americans from overseas cannot operate with impunity, no matter where in the world they live,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tyson Duva of the DOJ’s Criminal Division.
‘Global crime now faces global justice’
The six men arrested face federal fraud and money laundering charges in the Southern District of California. The four were identified as Thet Min Nyi, 27, of Myanmar; and Indonesian national Wiliang Awang, 23; Andreas Chandra, 29; and Lisa Merriam, 29. Two other unidentified individuals, who are currently at large, are also facing charges.
The DOJ noted that Dubai Police, operating under the UAE Ministry of Interior, led the effort to disrupt the scam and were responsible for arresting Thet Min Nyi, Chandra and Maryam. Meanwhile, Awang is captured by the Royal Thai Police.
If convicted, each charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine between $250,000 and $500,000.
“These scammers thought they were safe half a world away,” said Adam Gordon, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California. “But their world has changed. Global crime now faces global justice.”
Pig Butcher Outside San Diego
The case dates back to 2025, when FBI agents in San Diego identified several companies and individuals allegedly operating cryptocurrency fraud schemes at various premises in the city.
According to the indictment, two criminal complaints and other court records, Thet Min Nyi, Chandra, Mariam, Awang and their two fugitive co-conspirators allegedly “managed, worked for, and recruited others to work for” three companies – Ko Thet Company, Sanduo Group and Giant Company – that operated several different crypto schemes.
Targeting people both in the United States and abroad, the alleged criminals engaged in pig-slaughtering schemes that involved gaining a victim’s trust, typically through online friendship or romance, before convincing them to invest in fraudulent cryptocurrencies and stealing their money.
‘Fraud is limitless’
Thet Min Nyi and a fugitive co-defendant were indicted by a grand jury in the Southern District of California in March 2026 on wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies. He allegedly played a role in the management and recruitment of the Ko Thet Company, also known as “Pixie”.
The other four individuals – Awang, Chandra, their fugitive co-defendant and Maryam – were charged with wire fraud conspiracy in two criminal complaints filed in the Southern District of California in April 2026. The four allegedly operated cryptocurrency investment fraud schemes involving Sanduo Group and Giant Company.
“The charges and arrests announced today reflect an international consensus that scam centers are unwanted everywhere and must be rooted out,” Duva said. “In contemporary society, fraud is borderless, and so is law enforcement activity to combat and eliminate it.”