- A California man, Kewu Du, is wanted in Iron County for fraud.
- Du was allegedly part of a scheme to scam an Enoch resident out of nearly $40,000.
- Prosecutors seek Du's arrest, identifying him as the person who picked up the cash.
CEDAR CITY — A California man is wanted in Iron County for allegedly being part of an elaborate scheme to scam an Enoch man out of nearly $40,000.
Kewu Du, 43, of Rosemead, California, was charged Tuesday in 5th District Court with communications fraud, a second-degree felony.
In March, an Enoch resident received a text from a person purporting to be an FBI agent telling him that "he is being investigated for illegal drug trafficking across the border," according to charging documents.
He then received a call from a man named "Daniel" who claimed he was with the DEA. Daniel claimed someone was using the victim's professional license.
"(The victim) told Daniel the license had expired, but Daniel said someone was paying for it," and that the victim is now "being investigated for drug dealing (and) money laundering," the charges state. Daniel claimed several accounts had been opened and car rentals had been made in the victim's name.
Daniel then told the victim that he "was to talk to no one else but to text him all day about where he was. He said if other agencies call, he should tell them that Daniel is his caseworker. Daniel sent pictures of drugs, money and mean individuals," according to the charges.
In another call allegedly made between the victim, Daniel, the FBI and the Treasury Department, the victim was again told "not to deal with anyone else and delete Daniel's number" and that they would work to remove the victim's name from 22 illegal accounts, the charges state.
The victim was then told to withdraw $34,000 in cash from one bank and $4,500 from another, say to the bank teller it was for home renovations and then "take a picture of the cash, put it in a box and seal it," according to the charges.
The victim was required to stay on the phone with the man allegedly from the Treasury Department for three hours straight as he waited for an alleged "messenger" who would pick up the box, the charges state.
After handing over the box of cash, the victim spoke with his wife, and the two determined that they had been scammed, the charges state. The victim was then "concerned about his safety due to how sophisticated these individuals were," according to the charges.
Using witnesses and license plate reading cameras, investigators determined that Du was the courier who picked up the box, the charges state. Prosecutors are seeking a warrant for his arrest.
