MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) — Officials sentenced a 19-year-old man from New York to 18 months in prison on Thursday.
The Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office (SAO) said in a news release that Zhenyong Weng pleaded guilty on Tuesday to attempted theft and conspiracy to commit theft.
Officials said that Weng targeted an 82-year-old victim in an attempt to secure $75,000 in the form of gold bars. That same victim had previously lost over $900,000 in gold bars to scammers.
The Montgomery County Department of Police arrested Weng on July 15, 2024.
Weng was sentenced to 10 years with all but 18 months suspended.
“This is an example of how woefully inadequate the Maryland State Sentencing Guidelines are in regard to the Gold Bar Scam. In this case, the guidelines were probation to six months jail time. The State asked for the maximum penalty, which would have been twenty years in prison. This international organized criminal activity is targeting seniors who have a very slim chance of ever recovering their money. We are seeing victims lose their life savings,” said State’s Attorney John McCarthy.
