Soddy Daisy, Tenn. – An elderly man from Soddy-Daisy was swindled into parting with thousands of dollars worth of gold bars by a pair of scammers. The suspects, Raymond Guan and Ho Yin Li, were arrested by authorities after an investigation that included an interview with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI).
The two men were apprehended following a separate incident in which one of the suspects was struck by a truck. They appeared in court on Tuesday for a preliminary hearing, where law enforcement and the victim provided testimony.
According to the victim, the scam began with a promise involving cryptocurrency exchanges. However, the victim claims the exchange did not go as planned, and he was instead manipulated into handing over several dozen gold bars valued at nearly $1 million.
The suspects allegedly visited the victim’s home, posing as “secret agents” and using secret passwords before taking the gold bars. A TBI agent who interviewed the suspects revealed that they were from California and had traveled to Soddy-Daisy for the scheme. They also reportedly said they were acting under the direction of another man from California.