Two Chinese nationals were in court on Wednesday on charges over an alleged investment scam.
See the full story in the video below
Prosecutors say promises of quick investment returns in exchange for large cash collections to invest in supercomputers and AI led to the criminal charges.
Yu-Lin Li and Shang-Yi Ko faced a judge in Novi on Wednesday, accused of finding victims in late June, then allegedly convincing them to meet repeatedly in a Novi restaurant parking lot.
It's alleged that the victims gave them large amounts of ash for investment opportunities.
One married couple, who asked us to hide their faces, told us what they believed their cash was going to buy.
“Smart technology business. The person in court today is the person who picked up cash. More than one? More than once. Each time, he gave at least 20K. Last time the guy was arrested trying to get 90K," the victim told us.
She also told us that the alleged scammers also insisted on their signing a confidential agreement.
“They signed a confidential agreement. He shouldn’t talk to his spouse. Talk to me. Shouldn’t talk to his friends," the victim said.
Attorneys for the defendants declined to comment for our story, and the judge postponed the pretrial matter.
“This kind of thing can ruin somebody’s life. They use techniques that are very persuasive and sometimes even fear," Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said. “Somebody so urgently wanting your money in cash and they’re going to show up personally in a parking lot, that is the most efficient way to conduct the crime.”
“I’m just like, am I in a dream? Or something? I cannot believe that happened to us," the victim told us.
We’re told this hearing is now rescheduled for two weeks from now, so both sides can review video evidence.
