Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Arrests Three Individuals as Part of Extortion Schemes
MINDEN, NEV. (May 8, 2025) –– On Friday, May 2, 2025, two male suspects were arrested at an address in Genoa, Nevada, when they arrived at a residence to pick up money from the homeowner as part of an extortion scheme.
On Wednesday, May 7, 2025, one male suspect was arrested at an address on Wagon Drive in the Gardnerville Ranchos area of Gardnerville, Nevada, when he also arrived at a residence to pick up money from the homeowner as part of an extortion scheme.
The arrest of these individuals was the culmination of investigations conducted jointly by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations and the Tri-Net Narcotics Task Force.
These types of schemes usually start with a legitimate-looking email from someone claiming to be from Microsoft or a notification that the recipient has a new subscription to a service that the recipient never wanted. The email correspondence quickly escalates into threats if the victim does not pay the sender.
The suspects arrested in Genoa were: Junyan Wu, a 22-year-old male from Alhambra, California, and Lirui Diao, a 21-year-old male from Monterey, California. Both Wu and Diao were booked into the Douglas County Jail for Extortion, Obtaining Money by False Pretenses, Conspiracy and Exploitation of the elderly. Each man’s bail was set at $100,000. Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) is currently researching both Wu's and Diao’s immigration status.
The suspect arrested on Wagon Drive was: Quan Fu Ma, a 45-year-old male from San Francisco, California. Ma was booked into the Douglas County Jail for Extortion, Exploitation of the Elderly and Conspiracy. Ma’s bail was set at $52,509. Ma is a naturalized U.S. citizen.
Sheriff Coverley would like to thank the FBI, HSI, ICE and the Tri-Net Task Force for their continued cooperation and support in these types of criminal investigations.
Learn more about what individuals can do to protect against and identify scams this Friday, May 9, from 10 to 11 a.m. during a free Senior Scam Seminar hosted jointly by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and the Better Business Bureau. The seminar takes place at the Douglas County Community & Senior Center, 1329 Waterloo Lane in Gardnerville, Nevada.
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