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{"actor":"system:backfill","investigation_id":"47d33cfb-77b9-4f8f-9833-e8ad3aad68c5","kind":"publish","page_slug":"sanduo-group","published_at":"2026-09-28T12:11:13.701Z","sequence_num":1,"snapshot":{"content_type":"investigation","entity_name":"Sanduo Group","sections":[{"content":"On April 29, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a coordinated international takedown of cryptocurrency \"scam centers,\" naming Sanduo Group as one of three alleged criminal enterprises — alongside Ko Thet Company and Giant Company — that allegedly managed and operated scam compounds used to run \"pig-butchering\" investment fraud schemes. According to the DOJ, defendants \"managed, worked for, and recruited others to work at three different companies named Ko Thet Company, Sanduo Group, and Giant Company that allegedly operated several scam centers.\" In April 2026, two criminal complaints filed in the Southern District of California charged Wiliang Awang, Andreas Chandra, and a fugitive co-defendant — all alleged Indonesian nationals — along with Lisa Mariam, with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy tied to schemes run under the Sanduo Group and Giant Company names. Awang (age 23) was apprehended by Royal Thai Police and Chandra (age 29) was apprehended by Dubai Police; the case is tracked under docket number 26MJ2335-AHG. These are criminal allegations; the defendants have not been convicted and are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.","heading":"DOJ Criminal Charges Naming Sanduo Group","severity":"critical","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ Office of Public Affairs — Coordinated Takedown of Scam Centers Leads to at Least 276 Arrests","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/coordinated-takedown-scam-centers-leads-least-276-arrests-alleged-managers-and-recruiters"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Hoodline — San Diego Feds Pounce After 276 Nabbed In Dubai Crypto Scam Bust","type":"news_article","url":"https://hoodline.com/2026/04/san-diego-feds-pounce-after-276-nabbed-in-dubai-crypto-scam-bust/"}]},{"content":"The DOJ and associated reporting describe the alleged scheme as a classic \"pig-butchering\" operation: scammers cultivate a victim's trust over time — often through simulated friendship or romance — before persuading the victim to move money and cryptocurrency into fake investment platforms secretly controlled by the scammers. Victims were shown fabricated profits and encouraged to contribute larger sums, in some cases financed through loans; once funds were transferred, victims lost control of the assets, which were then allegedly laundered through additional accounts. The charges carry a potential maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison for wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. No public information reviewed identifies specific dollar losses attributable to Sanduo Group individually, as opposed to the broader multi-company operation.","heading":"Alleged Modus Operandi: Pig-Butchering Fraud","severity":"high","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ Office of Public Affairs — Coordinated Takedown of Scam Centers Leads to at Least 276 Arrests","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/coordinated-takedown-scam-centers-leads-least-276-arrests-alleged-managers-and-recruiters"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Hoodline — San Diego Feds Pounce After 276 Nabbed In Dubai Crypto Scam Bust","type":"news_article","url":"https://hoodline.com/2026/04/san-diego-feds-pounce-after-276-nabbed-in-dubai-crypto-scam-bust/"}]},{"content":"Sanduo Group's alleged operations were part of a much larger coordinated crackdown involving the FBI, Dubai Police, and the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, along with Thai authorities. The overall operation resulted in at least 276 arrests, the dismantlement of at least nine scam centers, more than $701 million in cryptocurrency restrained by a U.S. government Scam Center Strike Force, an additional $33 million in funds identified as linked to investment fraud schemes globally, more than 120 phishing domains confiscated, and a cluster of 503 fake investment websites seized. These aggregate figures describe the entire multi-company, multi-jurisdiction operation and are not broken out by DOJ as amounts specific to Sanduo Group alone; readers should not attribute the full $701 million or 503 websites to Sanduo Group individually absent further disaggregated reporting.","heading":"Broader International Operation Context","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":2,"name":"The Hacker News — Global Crackdown Arrests 276, Shuts 9 Crypto Scam Centers, Seizes $701M","type":"news_article","url":"https://thehackernews.com/2026/05/global-crackdown-arrests-276-shuts-9.html"},{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ Office of Public Affairs — Coordinated Takedown of Scam Centers Leads to at Least 276 Arrests","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/coordinated-takedown-scam-centers-leads-least-276-arrests-alleged-managers-and-recruiters"}]},{"content":"No independent corporate registration, official website, social media presence, or business filings for an entity called \"Sanduo Group\" could be located through open-source research beyond its appearance in DOJ charging documents and related news coverage. It is unclear whether \"Sanduo Group\" refers to a formally incorporated company, an internal name used within a scam compound, or a loosely organized criminal enterprise. No reports reviewed specify the physical location(s) of Sanduo Group's alleged scam center(s) (e.g., which country or region), nor do they quantify victim losses attributable to Sanduo Group specifically, separate from the co-named Ko Thet Company and Giant Company. This absence of independently verifiable operational detail should be weighed when assessing confidence in claims specific to Sanduo Group as opposed to the broader indicted network.","heading":"Unverified and Unknown Aspects","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ Office of Public Affairs — Coordinated Takedown of Scam Centers Leads to at Least 276 Arrests","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/coordinated-takedown-scam-centers-leads-least-276-arrests-alleged-managers-and-recruiters"}]}],"sources_used":[{"credibility":1,"name":"DOJ Office of Public Affairs — Coordinated Takedown of Scam Centers Leads to at Least 276 Arrests; Alleged Managers and Recruiters Charged in San Diego","type":"regulatory","url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/coordinated-takedown-scam-centers-leads-least-276-arrests-alleged-managers-and-recruiters"},{"credibility":2,"name":"Hoodline — San Diego Feds Pounce After 276 Nabbed In Dubai Crypto Scam Bust","type":"news_article","url":"https://hoodline.com/2026/04/san-diego-feds-pounce-after-276-nabbed-in-dubai-crypto-scam-bust/"},{"credibility":2,"name":"The Hacker News — Global Crackdown Arrests 276, Shuts 9 Crypto Scam Centers, Seizes $701M","type":"news_article","url":"https://thehackernews.com/2026/05/global-crackdown-arrests-276-shuts-9.html"},{"credibility":1,"name":"FBI San Diego Field Office — Coordinated Takedown of Scam Centers Leads to at Least 276 Arrests","type":"official","url":"https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/sandiego/news/coordinated-takedown-of-scam-centers-leads-to-at-least-276-arrests-alleged-managers-and-recruiters-charged-in-san-diego"}],"summary":"Sanduo Group is named by the U.S. Department of Justice as one of three alleged criminal organizations — alongside Ko Thet Company and Giant Company — that operated cryptocurrency \"pig-butchering\" scam centers targeting American victims. Two Indonesian nationals were criminally charged in April 2026 in the Southern District of California in connection with Sanduo Group's alleged operations, as part of a coordinated international takedown involving the FBI, Dubai Police, and Chinese authorities that resulted in at least 276 arrests globally. Independent, entity-specific information about Sanduo Group beyond the criminal complaints (e.g., corporate registration, website, victim loss totals) could not be verified.","timeline":[{"date":"2026-03","event":"A federal grand jury in the Southern District of California returned an indictment as part of the investigation into scam-center operations later linked to Sanduo Group and related entities.","source":"DOJ Office of Public Affairs","source_url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/coordinated-takedown-scam-centers-leads-least-276-arrests-alleged-managers-and-recruiters"},{"date":"2026-04","event":"Two federal criminal complaints were filed in the Southern District of California charging Wiliang Awang, Andreas Chandra, a fugitive co-defendant, and Lisa Mariam with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy tied to Sanduo Group and Giant Company.","source":"DOJ Office of Public Affairs","source_url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/coordinated-takedown-scam-centers-leads-least-276-arrests-alleged-managers-and-recruiters"},{"date":"2026-04-29","date_evidence":"Wednesday, April 29, 2026","event":"DOJ publicly announced the coordinated international takedown naming Sanduo Group, Ko Thet Company, and Giant Company, reporting at least 276 arrests, nine dismantled scam centers, and over $701 million in cryptocurrency restrained.","source":"DOJ Office of Public Affairs","source_url":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/coordinated-takedown-scam-centers-leads-least-276-arrests-alleged-managers-and-recruiters"}]},"v":1}