On 7/8, Nguyen Thi Tuyet, 55, from Thai Nguyen, and her partner Dang Hoang Giao, 67, from Hanoi, were sentenced by the Hanoi People's Court to 20 and 16 years in prison, respectively, for fraud and asset appropriation.
In 2023, they were sentenced to 9 and 8 years, respectively, for the same crime. Giao also received two administrative penalties and a suspended sentence for gambling.
The People's Procuracy confirmed that both defendants have separate families but have lived together as a couple since 2010, with two children. They worked as shamans and feng shui consultants, establishing two shrines in Thai Nguyen and Hanoi.
Through social connections, they met three tycoons from Hai Phong, Bac Giang (formerly), and Ho Chi Minh City. They lied about possessing two radioactive meteorites with supernatural powers. They also fabricated a story about having a large amount of USD, enticing the tycoons to fund hazmat suits to retrieve the USD from a vault and handle the legal procedures for selling the meteorites.
The couple promised to share the profits from the meteorite sale with the three tycoons. Believing the story, the three victims were swindled out of over 20 billion VND by Tuyet and Giao.
The first victim, Mr. Luyen, 49, from Hai Phong, was deceived into believing Tuyet and Giao had an 8.7 kg meteorite to sell to a foreign corporation for 3 billion VND/kg. Mr. Luyen visited their home and was told by Tuyet that they needed money for "facilitation" payments to sell the meteorite. They persuaded him to give them 1 billion VND, promising a share of 10 million USD upon the sale. They assured him the more he invested, the larger his share would be.
The couple even showed him a fabricated list of "beneficiaries under the heirloom transfer contract."
Trusting their claims, Mr. Luyen transferred over 1.3 billion VND to Tuyet between 2018 and 2022. Upon receiving the money, Tuyet instructed Giao to draft and sign a "Heirloom Transfer Contract," stating the sale of the meteorite for 6 billion USD, with a 17 million USD share for Mr. Luyen.
The second victim, Mr. Bich, 61, from Bac Giang (formerly), was told by Tuyet about a large sum of inactive USD. Mr. Bich suggested handling the legal procedures to activate the currency for global circulation. Tuyet pretended to refuse and didn't show him the money. In November 2019, Tuyet and Giao met Mr. Bich again, offering 1 million USD to initiate the legal process.
Tuyet claimed the money was stored in a vault in Thai Nguyen (without specifying the location), guarded by a shaman. She requested funds to rent protective gear to retrieve the 1 million USD. They showed off the meteorite, urging Mr. Bich to invest, encouraging him to accept the "blessing" and contribute funds.
The couple then invited Mr. Bich to Ho Chi Minh City to sell a 4+ kg meteorite, later going alone for the "transaction." Tuyet announced a buyer had agreed to purchase the meteorite for 1.4 billion USD/kg.
To appease Mr. Bich, Tuyet put his name on the sales contract, promising him 20 million USD. The contract listed the sale value as 8.5 billion USD, with a 500 million USD down payment.
Tuyet then demanded money for the "buyer's" plane ticket from the US, threatening to remove Mr. Bich from the beneficiary list if he didn't comply. Fearing the consequences, Mr. Bich transferred a total of 1.4 billion VND.
The victim who lost the most money, nearly 18 billion VND, was Mr. Thuan, 67, from Ho Chi Minh City, a friend of Mr. Bich.
Tuyet and Giao claimed they could communicate with spirits, using the meteorite as bait. They told Mr. Thuan they had three meteorites inherited from their ancestors, which the Vietnamese and US governments had agreed to purchase, with the relevant ministries handling the transaction. They boasted about a renowned Saigon entrepreneur who built his fortune in the south by selling meteorites.
In late 2019, the couple began "raising capital," telling Mr. Thuan that 20 people were already investing. They promised him 170 million USD if he contributed to the sale's completion.
Using similar manipulation tactics, they received 17.7 billion VND in bank transfers from Mr. Thuan. He claimed to have given nearly 5 billion VND in cash but lacked proof, so the prosecution only recognized the 17.7 billion VND in transfers.
The total amount defrauded from the three victims was over 20 billion VND, as determined by the court.
Hai Thu
