Missouri crime: Man charged in multimillion-dollar crypto scam; guilty plea in KC Cybertruck arson; anti-trafficking council formed

A Vietnamese national has been charged with defrauding a Missouri victim of millions of dollars in a “pig butchering” scam, and a Missouri man has pleaded guilty to setting a Tesla Cybertruck on fire at a Kansas City dealership.

Trung Nguyen Van, 37, has been charged in a two-count criminal complaint with money laundering and had his initial court appearance in Los Angeles Sept. 24, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri.

Van is accused of tricking a victim into transferring $16 million in cryptocurrency between June and August 2024 in a pig butchering scheme – a billion-dollar industry named after the idea of fattening livestock before butchering them – that has victimized millions of Americans.

“Pig butchering schemes are an increasingly prevalent and sophisticated form of fraud that have caused billions of dollars in losses to victims around the world,” U.S. Attorney R. Matthew Price said in the release.

Fraudsters gain the trust of their victims, usually through fake romantic relationships, and use that relationship to convince them to invest money into phony cryptocurrency projects.

Van received more than $53 million in cryptocurrency between February 2018 and December 2024 from U.S. citizens he targeted in the alleged schemes.

“The FBI, working closely with our law enforcement and private-sector partners, uncovered and disrupted this alleged scheme, preventing additional victims from being defrauded of their hard-earned money,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Chris Ormerod said. “This case demonstrates the FBI’s unwavering commitment to protecting the American public and holding fraudsters accountable, regardless of where they operate or where their crimes are committed.”

Guilty plea in KC Tesla arson

Kevin Harkins, 28, of Barnhart, Missouri, pleaded guilty Friday to one count each of malicious destruction of property related to arson and unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri.

On Feb. 13, 2025, Harkins damaged a Cybertruck worth nearly $82,000 at the Kansas City Tesla Center by shooting it multiple times and setting it on fire. A Tesla Model Y was shot seven times, and a second Cybertruck was also damaged by a bullet that appeared to be a stray, according to the release.

Police officers and firefighters responded to the scene for reports of gunshots and a fire and discovered flammable fluid on the truck, broken glass, burnt cloth, a propane hand torch and a cigarette lighter. Officers also found an unbroken Molotov cocktail – an incendiary device made from a container holding flammable liquid such as gasoline with a cloth wick sticking out.

Harkins pleaded guilty to malicious destruction of property related to arson, for which he will serve five to 20 years in federal prison without parole, and unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device, for which he’ll serve a maximum of 10 years in prison without parole.

New anti-trafficking council

In other crime news, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced the creation of a new anti-human trafficking council Friday.

The Statewide Council Against Adult Trafficking and the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children includes representatives from state agencies, legislative leaders, judicial partners and statewide organizations, forming a unified front against human trafficking.

The council will operate within the Attorney General’s Office to strengthen statewide efforts against human trafficking, and 19 people from various agencies and state departments are already appointed to serve on it.

“The establishment of this council represents a significant step forward for Missouri,” Hanaway said in a release. “When agencies, advocates and public safety partners unite with a common goal, we strengthen our ability to protect vulnerable Missourians and support those working to combat human trafficking on the front lines.”

The council will sponsor specialized training to help individuals across multiple professions notice the warning signs of trafficking. A training committee – the Committee on Sex and Human Trafficking Training – will develop digital training tools for law enforcement personnel, medical professionals and others who might come into regular contact with trafficking victims.

The council will have its first meeting within the next 30 days, according to the release.