The United States has announced a reward of up to US$4 million for information leading to the arrest of Daren Li, an economic citizen of St Kitts and Nevis convicted in the US on money laundering charges linked to cryptocurrency scams and now considered a fugitive.

The reward was announced on April 23 by the US State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs under its Transnational Organised Crime Rewards Program.

According to the State Department, Li, who also holds Chinese citizenship, admitted in US court to conspiring with others to launder proceeds generated through cryptocurrency investment fraud tied to scam centres in Southeast Asia.

US authorities said Li was convicted and sentenced in the US District Court for the Central District of California but remains at large.

Court documents allege Li helped move tens of millions of dollars stolen from victims, including through US bank accounts opened in the names of shell companies.

Prosecutors said Li directed co-conspirators to establish the accounts and monitored the movement of funds through interstate and international wire transfers.

According to the State Department, Li admitted at least US$73.6 million in victim funds were deposited into accounts linked to him and his associates, including US$59.8 million channelled through US shell companies used to launder proceeds from fraud.

Authorities said the scheme was tied to scam compounds i where criminal networks have been linked to cryptocurrency fraud and human trafficking.

The reward announcement came alongside a broader US crackdown targeting transnational scam operations.

The Department of Justice also announced charges against two Chinese nationals accused of operating a scam compound in Myanmar and attempting to establish another in Cambodia. 

US authorities also announced the seizure of a Telegram channel allegedly used to recruit trafficking victims to scam compounds in Cambodia, along with 503 fraudulent web domains linked to cryptocurrency investment scams.

Separately, the US Treasury announced sanctions against Cambodian senator Kok An, who it said controls scam compounds in the country, as well as 28 individuals and entities linked to his network.