Alleged Scammer Arrested in Knox County
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By Echo Menges
Knox County, MO – Friday, March 8, 2024 – Knox County Sheriff Carl Knoche announced Friday that a scam artist was arrested in Knox County on Thursday, March 7, after allegedly stealing $95,000 in cash from a 79-year-old Knox County resident earlier in the week.
Dongyi Guo, 27, of Flushing, NY, was apprehended during an operation involving multiple law enforcement agencies including the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Edina Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Missouri State Highway Patrol, and Scotland County Sheriff’s Office.
According to local law enforcement, Guo is a Chinese national who is in the United States with an employment authorization through the People’s Republic of China.
Officials are not releasing the identity of the victim or the location of the arrest other than saying the arrest was made at the victim’s home within the boundaries of Knox County.
“My office was contacted on the evening of March 6 by a concerned family member,” Sheriff Carl Knoche said during a Friday afternoon press conference.
“They (were) concerned and told us that an individual had been coming to her house and taking large sums of money from her. At that point, my office responded and started an investigation. Through that, we were able to gather information through interviews and speaking with the victim. Through that, we (were) able to ascertain that the suspect was potentially coming back to the home,” said Knoche.
Area law enforcement coordinated their efforts before the suspect was arrested at the home of the victim. According to Knoche, Guo was taken into custody without incident at approximately noon on Thursday, transported to the Lewis County Jail, and placed on a 24-hour hold.
Following the arrest, police seized $42,600 in cash from the trunk of the suspect’s vehicle after obtaining a search warrant signed by Knox County Associate Circuit Judge Tom Redington.
“We’re still trying to put a lot of pieces together at this time. We are unsure where the rest of the money is at this point,” said Knoche.
“These particular individuals identified themselves as the FDIC and convinced the victim that her identity had been compromised, and that she needed to retrieve the money out of the bank and send it with them in order to save the money. And, they would return it to her at another time,” said Knoche.
After the initial contact was made via email, the victim began communicating with the suspect on the phone and through text messages.
According to court documents, Guo allegedly went to the victim’s home on Monday, March 4, and obtained $40,000 in cash, returned on Tuesday, March 5, and obtained $35,000 in cash, returned on Wednesday, March 6, and obtained $20,000 in cash.
On the fourth and final day, when Guo returned to the victim’s home, law enforcement officers were waiting for him.
“The Knox County Prosecutor’s Office would just like to thank local law enforcement for their tireless efforts in investigating this case and referring charges to my office as quickly as possible,” Knox County Prosecutor Andrew Boster said during the press conference on Friday. “As stated by Sheriff Knoche, felony charges have been filed against the accused. In this particular case, three felony counts. Two Class B felonies and one Class C felony.”
Guo is facing three counts of financial exploitation of an elderly person.
“I would just like to reiterate what the Sheriff has said, and want to make sure that members of our community are becoming more aware of events like this, and to educate themselves more as to the scam like activities that they can avoid. The Prosecutor’s Office is dedicated to ensuring that justice is done, and that victim’s rights are upheld,” said Boster.
Guo is still being held at the Lewis County Jail. He cannot be bonded out of jail. Judge Redington has not authorized a bond.
As of Friday evening, an initial court date for Guo had not been scheduled.
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