Westminster woman charged with cyber money laundering – Orange County Register

A Westminster woman has been accused of working as a “money mule” for cybercriminals after she allegedly laundered more than $1.8 million in stolen funds into various bank accounts.

Serena Lieu, 55, was indicted on Tuesday in a federal grand jury indictment on six counts, which the Justice Department said included three counts of money laundering.

In 2019, Lieu was questioned by FBI agents and received a “money mule” warning letter, informing her that she was moving fraudulent money through various bank accounts. Despite signing the letter, Lieu reportedly continued her financial activities.

The Justice Department said Lieu had opened 11 bank accounts at seven different financial institutions since 2017, which she allegedly used to transfer illegal funds on behalf of someone else. From July 2020 to February 2021, Lieu reportedly transferred over $560,000 to various accounts including Coinbase, a cryptocurrency platform.

Lieu was arrested on Wednesday and has pleaded not guilty to the charges.