A federal court in Los Angeles sentenced fugitive ringleader Daren Li in absentia to the statutory maximum of 240 months for a $73.6 million international crypto investment and money‑laundering conspiracy. Li remains at large after cutting off his electronic monitor in December 2025.

The U.S. Department of Justice (Central District of California) announced that Daren Li was sentenced in absentia to 20 years in prison for his leadership role in an international pig‑butchering investment fraud operation that moved roughly $73.6 million through scam centers in Cambodia. Court filings describe a sprawling conspiracy that used romance and social‑engineering lures, shell companies, and layered money‑laundering to convert victim payments into U.S. accounts and cryptocurrency. Investigators tied co‑conspirators to scam center infrastructure and financial funnels designed to obscure proceeds and repurpose funds for personal assets. Li cut off his electronic monitoring in December 2025 and remains a fugitive; prosecutors said they will continue international law enforcement cooperation to apprehend him and seek victim restitution. The sentence — the statutory maximum — underscores U.S. focus on transnational financial crime tied to crypto. Authorities also signaled ongoing efforts to trace and recover laundered assets through both traditional financial channels and blockchain analysis.