As the leader of a criminal syndicate, Boliang Liu amassed enough wealth to indulge in luxury purchases and stash away $913,000 in cash at home. However, his lavish lifestyle did not go unnoticed, especially by his father, Fulai Liu, who questioned the wisdom of his son’s extravagant spending despite declaring no taxable income for the year.
On September 7, 2021, Fulai expressed his concerns in a message, asking, “Is that low profile?” Liu’s reply indicated a sense of entitlement: “I deserve a little reward, don’t I? Otherwise, what’s it for, day in and day out here?”
Their operation was exposed a month later when Liu, along with co-accused Tao Zhou and Wei Wang, was arrested in a significant sting operation led by Victoria Police, the Australian Crime Intelligence Commission, and AUSTRAC. The trio was charged with laundering tens of millions of dollars through cryptocurrency, foreign bank accounts, and ATMs across Melbourne.
During the police raid on Liu’s Burwood residence, authorities seized shopping bags filled with cash, cash counting machines, and various credit cards linked to other individuals. Among the luxury items confiscated were designer watches, a Gucci bag, three framed pictures of boxer Mike Tyson, a Porsche 911 Carrera, and two four-wheel drives.
Initially, Liu and Zhou denied any wrongdoing, claiming they were high-stakes poker players. However, following their guilty pleas for dealing with proceeds of crime, they faced sentencing. On Tuesday, Liu, aged 37, was sentenced to five and a half years in prison, while Zhou, 41, received three and a half years.
Court documents revealed that Liu and Zhou laundered a staggering $63 million between 2020 and 2021, prompting Judge Michael Cahill to remark, “The sums you both dealt with are eye-watering.”