California Man Sues for Over $1.2 Million in Alleged Cryptocurrency Fraud
On Thursday, April 17, 2025, Robert Brion Yee filed a complaint in the California Superior Court against Laura Hui Min Zhou and an unidentified entity known as BTCH, claiming damages exceeding $1.2 million. The lawsuit alleges fraud, deceit, and various other charges related to a cryptocurrency investment scheme.
Yee, a resident of California and over the age of 65, asserts that he fell victim to a “pig butchering scheme,” a type of long-term scam where victims are manipulated into investing increasingly large sums of money, often in the form of cryptocurrency. The complaint outlines a series of interactions between Yee and Zhou that began in October 2024, during which Zhou purportedly built a personal relationship with Yee through discussions on various topics, including history and travel.
According to the lawsuit, Zhou gained Yee’s trust and persuaded him to allow her to manage his investment portfolio. Yee claims that she exploited his concerns about the stability of the economy following the presidential elections in November 2024. Zhou allegedly assured Yee that traditional banking systems were vulnerable and promoted cryptocurrency as a superior investment opportunity.
The complaint details that Yee initially invested $100,000 in a cryptocurrency platform called BTCH, based on Zhou’s recommendations, which included purported insights from her uncle, referred to as “Uncle Zhou.” Yee alleges that Zhou misrepresented her uncle’s qualifications, suggesting he had significant experience in financial management and was guiding their investments.
Yee states that after the initial investment, Zhou encouraged him to increase his stake in BTCH to $520,000, citing numerology as a reason for the increase. She suggested that her own investment of $60,000 would also be added to Yee’s account to further assure him. Following this, Yee’s account reportedly grew to $720,000 after a successful trade.
The situation took a turn when Yee attempted to withdraw funds from his BTCH account. He alleges that Zhou assisted him in navigating the withdrawal process, which included multiple steps. However, when Yee attempted to withdraw $664,000, he faced complications that led him to contact customer support at BTCH. The support team claimed that a technical fee of 30% was required to recover his funds, which Yee paid.
Further complications arose when Yee was informed that he needed to pay a capital gains tax before he could access his funds. The complaint alleges that Zhou continued to advise Yee throughout this process, assuring him that these demands were normal procedures.
Yee’s complaint states that despite his compliance with BTCH’s demands, his account was ultimately frozen under the pretext of investigations into money laundering and insider trading. He claims that he was then required to pay an additional sum of $180,686 to unblock his funds.
The lawsuit includes several causes of action against Zhou and the other defendants, including fraud and deceit, intentional infliction of emotional distress, conversion, and elder abuse. Yee contends that Zhou’s actions were not only fraudulent but also designed to exploit his emotional vulnerability as an elder.
The complaint highlights that Yee was misled into believing he was engaging in legitimate investment activities, while in reality, he was being manipulated into a fraudulent scheme that resulted in significant financial loss. He seeks damages in excess of $1.2 million, along with punitive damages and the recovery of attorney’s fees.
Please contact BlockTribune for access to a copy of this filing.
