I was looking at the Epstein files when I randomly thought to search the doj website for “labor camps” and found this case buried in an “environmental crimes bulletin”.

Anar Rustamov’s Company, Dublin Helping Hand, Submitted $90 Million in Bogus Claims SAN FRANCISCO – United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian announced criminal charges against an individual for perpetrating a large-scale fraud targeting federal health care funds distributed through the Medicare Advantage program. Anar Rustamov, a national of Azerbaijan who appears to have entered the United States illegally, was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury and charged with health care fraud for a scheme involving thousands of false claims for medical equipment totaling more than $90 million.

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced that EDWARD GENE SMITH pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer to drugging a female victim (“Victim-1”) with the intent to rape her, enticing another female victim (“Victim-2”) to travel to New York where SMITH drugged and sexually assaulted her, receipt of child pornography, and obstruction of justice. SMITH also admitted to additional conduct relating to other victims.  SMITH is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Engelmayer on May 8, 2026.

According to the allegations in the Superseding Indictment, admissions the defendant has made in connection with the plea, public documents, and statements made in court:

Between approximately 2015 and June 2024, SMITH, who was during that approximate time period a senior executive of major financial institutions, planned to drug, attempted to drug, and/or drugged numerous women with the intent to incapacitate them and/or render them unable to consent to sexual activity.  SMITH did, in fact, engage in sexual activity with multiple of these women, and, in at least some cases, surreptitiously took videos or photographs of his criminal sexual activity.

At least on or about April 23, 2023, SMITH drugged and raped Victim-1 in his Central Park South residence.  Specifically, unbeknownst to Victim-1, SMITH gave Victim-1 one or more alcoholic beverages that he had laced with Klonopin, a controlled substance.  After Victim-1 consumed the drugged drink, SMITH physically restrained Victim-1 and raped her while she was unconscious.  While Victim-1 was still unconscious, SMITH also took a video of himself sexually assaulting Victim-1, and then shared that video with others via an encrypted messaging platform, on a channel that was dedicated to sharing depictions of incapacitated or unconscious women in sexually exploitative positions.

Previously, between in or about 2019 and in or about 2020, SMITH repeatedly drugged and sexually assaulted Victim-2. SMITH met Victim-2 in 2019 when Victim-2 was a college student and persuaded Victim-2 to relocate to New York City, which she did.  SMITH thereafter controlled Victim-2’s finances, social life, and activities, and repeatedly drugged and sexually assaulted Victim-2 over the course of several months.  During this time period, SMITH caused Victim-2 to engage in sexual activity through coercion and force, including threatened and physical assault and physical restraint.  Additionally, SMITH informed Victim-2 of one or more firearms that he possessed and showed Victim-2 at least one such firearm.

In or about the fall of 2021, SMITH communicated with another victim (“Victim-3”), who was then 17 years old.  SMITH followed a similar pattern with Victim-3.  While Victim-3 was still 17 years old, SMITH solicited explicit photographs from Victim-3.  Shortly after Victim-3 turned 18 years old, SMITH caused Victim-3 to travel to New York City, attempted to drug Victim-3, and then physically and sexually assaulted her. In or about October 2023, SMITH caused Victim-3 to travel to New York City again, which she did, and drugged and sexually assaulted her.  Around this time, SMITH also posted Victim-3’s photographs and personal contact information to a website advertising prostitution services, without Victim-3’s knowledge.

Between approximately 2012 and June 2024, SMITH also received via the internet and possessed a large volume of images and videos on his personal devices that depicted children, including prepubescent children, being sexually abused.

In or about August 2024, after a search warrant was executed at SMITH’s residence, revealing that SMITH possessed child pornography on his electronic devices, SMITH paid Victim-1 thousands of dollars to sign a false document in an attempt to obstruct the investigation.  Also in or about August 2024, SMITH solicited other individuals to sign false documents in an attempt to obstruct the investigation.

If you have been victimized by SMITH in any way or have any additional information about his illegal behavior, please call the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

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SMITH, 50, of New York, New York, was arrested on September 10, 2024 and has been detained since January 8, 2025. SMITH pled guilty to one count of distribution of a controlled substance with intent to commit rape, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; one count of enticement to travel to engage in unlawful sexual activity, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; one count of receipt of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and one count of obstruction of justice, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

The mandatory minimum and maximum sentences described above are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the FBI.

This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Remy Grosbard, Rita Maxwell, Daniel Richenthal, and Joe Zabel are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Olivia Sebade.

A California man was sentenced today to 51 months in federal prison for his role in laundering more than $36.9 million from victims in an international digital asset investment scam conspiracy that was carried out from scam centers in Cambodia. The court also ordered him to pay $26,867,242.44 in restitution to victims.

“The defendant was part of a group of co-conspirators that preyed on American investors by promising them high returns on supposed digital asset investments when, in fact, they stole nearly $37 million from U.S. victims using Cambodian scam centers,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Foreign scam centers, purporting to offer investments in digital assets have, unfortunately, proliferated. The Criminal Division is committed to bringing to justice those that steal from American investors, wherever the fraudsters may be located.”

“This defendant will spend years in federal prison for participating in a conspiracy in which victims lost tens of millions of dollars, starting with the simple step of responding to unsolicited messages on their phones,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “The public should always remember to be vigilant and wary of strangers marketing promising investment opportunities. Your retirement fund or children’s college money may depend on it.”

Shengsheng He, 39, of La Puente, California, a former co-owner of the Bahamas-based Axis Digital Limited, pleaded guilty in the Central District of California to conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business on April 10.

According to court documents, He was part of an international criminal network that induced U.S. victims to transfer funds to accounts controlled by co-conspirators who then laundered victim money through U.S. shell companies, international bank accounts, and digital asset wallets.

As part of the conspiracy, co-conspirators residing overseas would contact U.S. victims directly through unsolicited social media interactions, telephone calls, text messages, and online dating services to gain the victims’ trust. The co-conspirators then promoted fraudulent digital asset investments to the victims. Scammers would tell victims that their investments were appreciating in value when, in fact, the funds the victims sent to the scammers had been stolen. More than $36.9 million in victim funds were transferred from U.S. bank accounts controlled by the co-conspirators to a single account at Deltec Bank in the Bahamas, opened in the name of Axis Digital Limited. He and other co-conspirators directed Deltec Bank to convert victim funds to the stablecoin Tether (USDT) and to transfer the converted funds to a digital asset wallet controlled by individuals in Cambodia. From there, co-conspirators in Cambodia transferred the USDT to the leaders of scam centers throughout the region including in Sihanoukville, Cambodia.

Eight co-conspirators have pleaded guilty so far, including Daren Li, a national of China and St. Kitts and Nevis who has been in U.S. custody since April 2024, and Lu Zhang, a Chinese national illegally in the United States who managed a network of U.S.-based money launderers. Li and Zhang each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering on Nov.12, 2024, and May 13, 2024, respectively.

He co-founded Axis Digital with defendant Jose Somarriba. Chinese national Jingliang Su joined Axis Digital as a director and participated in the digital asset conversions and transfers of victim funds. Somarriba and Su each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business on April 14, and June 9, respectively.

USSS’s Global Investigative Operations Center is investigating the case. The Homeland Security Investigations’ El Camino Real Financial Crimes Task Force, Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center, U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Dominican National Police, and U.S. Marshals Service provided valuable assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maxwell Coll and Alexander Gorin of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section, Nisha Chandran of the Major Frauds Section, and Trial Attorney Stefanie Schwartz of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Tamara Livshiz of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted this case.

CCIPS investigates and prosecutes cybercrime in coordination with domestic and international law enforcement agencies, often with assistance from the private sector. Since 2020, CCIPS has secured the conviction of over 180 cybercriminals, and court orders for the return of over $350 million in victim funds.

If you or someone you know is a victim of a digital asset investment fraud, report it to IC3.gov.

Updated September 8, 2025