Man accused of conning elderly Knox County woman out of $95,000

Dongyi Guo

by John Garlock

KNOX COUNTY, Mo. — A Chinese national from New York City is accused of trying to scam an elderly Knox County woman out of nearly $100,000.

Dongyi Guo, 27, of Flushing, New York, was arrested Thursday by the Knox County Sheriff's Office.

Guo is now charged with three counts of financial exploitation of the elderly.

According to court documents, Guo went to the 79-year-old victim's home four days this week to unlawfully obtain thousands of dollars in cash that he had convinced the woman to withdraw from her bank in Edina.

Law enforcement said Guo stole a total of $95,000.

On Wednesday, the sheriff's office staked out the woman's home and arrested Guo when he arrived.

Investigators found about half of the money in the trunk of Guo's car. The cash was in a black suitcase, concealed inside a Walmart bag.

Authorities are unsure right now where the other half is.

They said Guo originally contacted the woman by email and then began communicating with her over the phone.

Knox County Sheriff Carl Knoche said the defendant posed as the FDIC.

“He convinced the victim that her identity had been compromised and that she needed to retrieve money out of the bank and send it with them in order to save the money, and then, they would return it to her at a later time," Knoche said.

A grandchild of the victim alerted law enforcement that a man was stealing large sums of money from the woman.

The sheriff's office was assisted by the Edina Police Department, Scotland County Sheriff's Office, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Kirksville office of the FBI and the Knox County Prosecutor's Office.

Court documents state that Guo has an extensive criminal history, including identity theft and other crimes involving fraud.

Guo is being held without bond in the Lewis County Jail.

The Edina Sentinel reports that Guo in the U.S. on an employment authorization from the People's Republic of China.

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Man accused of conning elderly Knox County woman out of $95,000