Maplewood man convicted of stealing $1.7M from Hmong elders in homeland scam

A Twin Cities man has been convicted of defrauding his Hmong elders out of more than $1.7 million by promising each of them land and a home in a future homeland in Southeast Asia.

Federal jurors in St. Paul took two hours last week to find Seng Xiong, 49, of Maplewood guilty of wire fraud and mail fraud in a trial that spanned more than two weeks. Sentencing has not been scheduled.

"Seng Xiong took the Hmong people's tragic history of war and displacement and manipulated that for his own benefit," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Amber Brennan in a statement announcing the conviction.

Xiong ran his fraud scheme from at least September 2014 to March 2016 until he was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport while trying to board a flight to Thailand.

Under an organization he named "Hmong Tebchaws," he directed elders to deposit $3,000 to $5,000 into a bank account held in his name.

In exchange, they were each promised 10 acres of land already set aside, a house and the benefits in a future country established as a Hmong homeland somewhere in Southeast Asia. He claimed to be working with the White House and United Nations to establish the country.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482