Texas Man Files $10M Lawsuit Against Unidentified Defendants in Crypto Fraud Scheme
On Thursday, July 3, 2025, Luan Pham Doan filed a complaint in the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas against multiple unidentified defendants, accusing them of orchestrating a sophisticated cryptocurrency fraud scheme that resulted in the theft of over $10 million in assets.
The lawsuit names Doe Defendant “1,” also known as “Tina,” along with other defendants responsible for creating and controlling fraudulent trading platforms Ablsursum.com and Odensa.com, and owners of cryptocurrency wallets at Gate.io and OKX exchanges.
According to the complaint, the defendants executed a global internet investment scam, described as a “pig butchering” scheme, where scammers build trust with victims over time before defrauding them.
Doan alleges that in February 2025, he was contacted via WhatsApp by “Tina,” who claimed expertise in cryptocurrency investments and encouraged him to invest through the fraudulent platforms. Initially, Doan transferred small amounts, starting with $100, and was shown fake returns that suggested significant profits, leading him to transfer over $10 million in cryptocurrencies and wire transfers between October 2024 and April 2025.
The complaint states that the fraudulent platforms displayed fictitious account balances, with Doan believing his investments had grown to nearly $50 million. When he attempted to withdraw funds in April 2025, the defendants demanded additional fees, including a 1% withdrawal fee and network node fees, and imposed a $50,000 daily penalty for non-compliance, which led Doan to realize he had been scammed.
Forensic tracing by experts at CoinStructive reportedly tracked approximately $6 million of the stolen assets to cryptocurrency wallets at Gate.io and OKX exchanges, controlled by the defendants.
Doan’s lawsuit includes five counts: racketeering under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), conversion, unjust enrichment, imposition of a constructive trust, and conspiracy. The plaintiff seeks damages, statutory trebled damages, punitive damages, attorney’s fees, and the return of his assets held in the identified cryptocurrency wallets.
The complaint asserts that the defendants, believed to be foreign nationals primarily operating from Southeast Asia, targeted Doan while he was in Texas, establishing jurisdiction in the Southern District.
Please contact BlockTribune for access to a copy of this filing.
