United States v. Sun, 3:24-mj-01502

The defendant, Xilin Sun, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with a $1.4 million scheme primarily targeting an elderly victim in California.
Sun is alleged to have been an active participant in the conspiracy, engaging in surveillance-aware behavior and possessing multiple IDs under various names.
Following the victim's report, federal law enforcement staged a controlled delivery, leading to Sun's arrest, during which evidence of ongoing criminal activity was found on his seized phones.
Sun is a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from China, with family ties in Los Angeles but also strong international ties, and lacks stable employment or significant financial resources in the local community.
The government argued that Sun poses a significant flight risk, given ties abroad and continued criminal involvement even when on state bond; Sun suggested GPS monitoring as an alternative to detention.
The court held a detention hearing and determined that no condition or combination of conditions would reasonably assure Sun's presence at trial, ordering pretrial detention.

Issue	Plaintiff's Argument	Defendant's Argument	Held
Flight risk & pretrial detention	Sun is a flight risk due to foreign ties, fake IDs, and ongoing crime	GPS monitoring sufficient	Detention ordered
Seriousness and weight of evidence	Evidence against Sun is strong, active conspirator, risk of recidivism	Insufficient evidence for detention	Weight favors detention
Community ties and employment stability	No stable employment or financial roots in community	Family in LA supports court presence	No anchor, favors detention
Prior criminal conduct/history	Continued crime after first arrest, lack of compliance	No prior criminal record	Conduct supports detention