A Saipan woman who posed as a wealthy investor and befriended older women to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars was sentenced last week to nearly six years in federal prison.
Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona sentenced Sze Man Yu Inos, also known as “Yuki,” 30, to 71 months for wire fraud. The court also ordered three years of supervised release, 100 hours of community service, $769,355.67 in restitution, and a $684,848.34 forfeiture judgment, along with a mandatory $200 special assessment.
Prosecutors said that from November 2020 to January 2022, Inos targeted older women in Saipan and Guam, pretending to come from a wealthy Chinese family and claiming success in Bitcoin investments. She treated victims to expensive meals and gifts, told them they were “like my mom,” and then solicited money and fake investment funds. She continued the scheme after leaving the Marianas, defrauding additional victims in Washington and California.
“Criminals engaged in affinity fraud prey on our willingness to trust others,” U.S. Attorney Shawn Anderson said, adding that Inos “chose to target older women across multiple jurisdictions, resulting in substantial financial losses.”
FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter said Inos “built a career out of deception,” noting she even forged a federal judge’s signature to further her schemes.
