Not a golden idea: NYC man pleads guilty in Montgomery Co. gold bar scam

A 24-year-old Brooklyn man pleaded guilty Monday to trying to scam an older Bethesda, Maryland, couple out of their gold bars.

According to the Maryland State’s Attorney’s Office, Yongxian Huang picked up a box from the Montgomery County couple that had around $400 of replica gold bars inside back in November 2024.

Huang allegedly thought they were authentic and worth somewhere north of $84,000.

The couple contacted Montgomery County police, wise to the idea they were being scammed.

Afterward, detectives coordinated a hand-off with Huang, giving him fake gold bars.

Huang drove to Brooklyn, where he was busted.

He was indicted for:

  • Conspiracy to commit theft over $25,000 to under $100,000
  • Attempted theft over $25,000 to under $100,000
  • Theft over $100

Huang faces more than 10 years in prison. His sentencing hearing is slated for July 11.

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Will Vitka

William Vitka is a Digital Writer/Editor for WTOP.com. He's been in the news industry for over a decade. Before joining WTOP, he worked for CBS News, Stuff Magazine, The New York Post and wrote a variety of books—about a dozen of them, with more to come.

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