U.S. Judge Hammers Maximum 20-Year Sentence on Absent Fugitive Daren Li

A U.S. federal judge has sentenced Daren Li, a 42-year-old dual national of China and St. Kitts and Nevis, to the maximum 20 years in prison for his role in a $73 million cryptocurrency investment fraud.

The sentence was imposed in absentia, as Li became a fugitive in December 2025 after cutting off his ankle monitor and disappearing.

The case is one of the largest 'pig butchering' prosecutions to reach sentencing in the U.S., built around Cambodia-based scam compounds that targeted American victims through spoofed trading platforms.