New York man gets 1 1/2-4 years in prison for attempting $20G bank scam

RICHMOND - A New York man was sentenced on Tuesday for role in a bank impersonation scam targeting an elderly Richmond man.

Wenhua Zhuo, 49, of Flushing, N.Y., arrested on July 16, 2024, for attempting to pick up $20,000 in cash from the victim at his home in. He had had been falsely led to believe that his bank account had been compromised and that he needed to turn over cash to a courier sent by the bank to protect it. Subsequent investigation revealed that Zhuo was the courier who picked up $20,900 in cash from the victim the day before, pursuant to the scheme.

Zhuo pleaded guilty to one class A felony charge of attempted theft by deception and one class A felony charge of theft by deception. On the charge of attempted theft by deception Zhuo was sentenced to 1½ to 4 years in the New Hampshire State Prison. On a second charge of theft by deception, Zhuo was sentenced to 5 to 10 years in the New Hampshire State Prison, with all of the minimum and maximum terms suspended for a period of 10 years following his release from incarceration.

As conditions of his suspended sentence, Mr. Zhuo was ordered to pay $20,900 in restitution, with $3,000 due by the date of sentencing. He was also prohibited from working in any capacity with elderly or vulnerable adults and serving as a fiduciary for any person.