2 men accused of stealing $250,000 from elderly couple in crypto scam
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Two men from New York have been charged with felonies after they were accused of stealing $250,000 in cash from an elderly Callaway County couple last year.
Kezhong Xie, of Staten Island, New York, and Xiaolin Zheng, of Brooklyn, New York, were each charged on Monday in Callaway County with stealing more than $25,000. They were not listed on the Callaway County Jail roster on Monday afternoon and a court date has not been scheduled.
The victims – a man and a woman in their 70s – told law enforcement in September that more than $250,000 was taken from them in June 2024, according to the probable cause statement. Court documents say the couple wanted to invest money from a home equity loan.
The woman allegedly spoke with a man named “Andy” who told them that men would pick up the cash from their Holts Summit home, the statement says. The money was allegedly intended to be used to invest in cryptocurrency. Xie and Zheng allegedly arrived in a silver Lexus and took the money from the couple, the statement says.
The pair were eventually stopped by Illinois State Police in Madison County, Illinois, on June 25 and gave conflicting statements on where they were coming from, the statement says. Troopers found gambling machine parts and $250,000 in cash.
Court documents say that Xie and Zheng are not in custody in Illinois, but have a court date set for Tuesday in Madison County for money laundering charges.
