Vietnamese National Pleads Guilty To Conspiring To Commit Identity Theft In Connection With $67 Million Dollar Money Laundering Scheme

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced that LE VAN HUNG, a/k/a "Hung Van Le," a/k/a "Van Hung Le," pled guilty to participating in a conspiracy to commit identity theft based on his role in a transnational scheme to launder at least approximately $67 million of illegally obtained funds to benefit, among others, a multinational media company headquartered in New York, New York (the "Media Company"). HUNG pled guilty today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stewart D. Aaron and is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero on September 29, 2026.

"For nearly four years, Le Van Hung oversaw an operation that stole the identities of thousands of Americans for use in a sprawling money laundering conspiracy," said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. "Today's guilty plea, together with Hung's agreement to forfeit $67,000,000 and make restitution to his victims, demonstrates the commitment of this Office to hold perpetrators of financial crimes accountable and to stand up for victims."

According to the charging documents and statements made in public filings and public court proceedings:

From at least in or about 2020, through in or about May 2024, HUNG, while associated with the Vietnamese office of the Media Company, conspired with others, including WEIDONG "Bill" GUAN, who was the Chief Financial Officer of the Media Company, to participate in a sprawling, transnational scheme to launder at least approximately $67 million of illegally obtained funds to bank accounts in the names of the Media Company and related entities. In order to further the money laundering scheme, HUNG used, possessed, and transferred personal identification information and documents of thousands of U.S. residents in order to, among other things, open and maintain financial accounts that were used to launder fraud proceeds. HUNG also recruited and managed various co-conspirators, including co-conspirators who worked with the Media Company's "Make Money Online" team. In one particular instance, HUNG directed a co-conspirator to call a bank and falsely claim that the co-conspirator was the account holder of a certain account so that the bank would unlock the account and HUNG could move fraudulent proceeds out of the account.

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HUNG, 31, of Vietnam, pled guilty to one count of conspiring to commit identity theft, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. HUNG also agreed to forfeit at least $67 million, representing proceeds traceable to the offense, and separately to pay restitution up to $67 million.

The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General, the Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service, and the Special Agents of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.

The case is being handled by the Office's Public Corruption Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin M. Burkett, Rebecca T. Dell, Paul M. Monteleoni, Daniel C. Richenthal, and Amanda C. Weingarten are in charge of the prosecution.