Le Van Hung pleaded guilty Monday in Manhattan federal court and agreed to forfeit roughly $67 million after admitting he ran an operation that stole thousands of Americans’ identities and used them to launder criminal proceeds. Prosecutors say the network funneled tens of millions of dollars into accounts tied to a multinational media company and relied on stolen personal data to open and control banking accounts.
In a post from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York on X, prosecutors said Hung pleaded guilty to identity‑theft‑related charges and agreed to give up the funds so money can be used to compensate victims. "Le Van Hung led an operation that stole thousands of Americans’ identities and used them in a sprawling money laundering scheme," U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said in the post.
How prosecutors describe the scheme
According to the Justice Department, federal prosecutors say the conspiracy ran from about 2020 through May 2024 and involved laundering approximately $67 million in fraud proceeds. The indictment and related filings allege Hung worked from a foreign office of a New York‑based media company, recruited co‑conspirators and used stolen U.S. resident information to open and control bank accounts.
Reporting from MLex confirmed the guilty plea, saying Hung admitted participating in a conspiracy to commit identity theft tied to the laundering network. MLex summarized Monday’s court hearing, where the defendant entered his plea in Manhattan federal court.
Forfeiture and victim restitution
Prosecutors say Hung's agreement to forfeit about $67 million is intended to make victims whole, an outcome the U.S. Attorney’s Office highlighted in its post. Victims and anyone who believes they were harmed were directed to contact the prosecutors through the dedicated email listed on the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Charges and possible penalties
The superseding indictment initially charged Hung with conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, conspiracy to commit identity theft and aggravated identity theft, and those counts carry significant statutory penalties, reporting shows. MLex and court documents outline maximum sentences ranging from years to decades, depending on the specific counts and any mandatory minimums attached to aggravated identity theft.
Hoodline previously covered Hung’s extradition and the original charges when the superseding indictment was unsealed in 2024, noting the government’s allegation that the scheme used fraudulent unemployment‑benefits proceeds, prepaid cards and cryptocurrency to move money. See Vietnamese National Extradited for background.
Prosecutors said the case remains under active investigation and sentencing will be set by the court at a later date. The plea marks a rare transnational asset recovery in a scheme prosecutors say touched thousands of U.S. residents.
