A Chinese national who overstayed his student visa has been arrested in Alabama after allegedly conning an elderly woman out of $400,000 in a scam that local police say is part of a growing pattern nationwide.
According to WEAR-TV and Spanish Fort Police Chief John Barber, 23-year-old Xiahezhati Xiaokelaiti posed as a U.S. Marshal working with the Treasury Department. Over a three-week period, he allegedly convinced the woman that she was part of a secret federal operation and needed to convert her cash into gold—then hand it over to him for “safekeeping.” The victim, a retiree who had carefully saved for years, complied under the belief that she was following lawful orders.
“It’s life-changing when it happens to somebody like that,” Barber told reporters. “Somebody that’s in their retirement years and did so well to save this money. And here in just a matter of weeks, somebody has changed their life.”
Chief Barber was blunt about the larger implications. “We have enough home-grown criminals here, and we don’t need other people coming into our country and victimizing our residents that shouldn’t even be here.”
The woman ultimately grew suspicious and alerted local authorities, who launched an investigation that led to Xiaokelaiti’s arrest. Police say this is not an isolated incident but part of a broader, transnational crime wave that increasingly targets elderly Americans.
Federal law enforcement has flagged a surge in similar schemes, often involving Indian and Chinese nationals—many of them here illegally—who impersonate government agents in elaborate phone and email scams. They typically contact the victim under the guise of law enforcement, claiming the person is under investigation and must cooperate by transferring funds to avoid arrest.
These operations are referred to by fraudsters as “hog butchering,” a reference to the ease with which vulnerable, elderly Americans—many with sizable retirement savings—are manipulated.
In one recent case in Rhode Island, eight Chinese nationals were arrested for running a nearly identical con. In New York and New Hampshire, three other illegal migrants were apprehended for scamming seniors out of money using gift card ploys.
The Department of Justice has also prosecuted members of larger crime syndicates for similar crimes, which range from romance scams to fake investment opportunities. These groups often use the same tactics: posing as federal agents, demanding payment, and isolating the victim with threats of legal action.
“For some individuals, this was their life savings, and they were unable to financially recover,” said FBI Special Agent R. Joseph Rothroc of the Dallas Field Office. “We hope these sentences give them a sense of comfort and send a clear message that the FBI is committed to pursuing justice for victims.”
The Alabama case underscores how lax immigration enforcement and fraudulent visa overstays are creating a security and financial risk—particularly for the elderly.
It also serves as a sobering warning: as long as immigration loopholes remain open and law enforcement is hampered by politics, criminal networks will continue to exploit America’s most vulnerable citizens. And without serious action, these scams will only grow more dangerous.
