Dozens of protesters gathered in front of the Warren E. Burger Federal Building and Courthouse in St. Paul Thursday to voice opposition to the prosecution of a man authorities say defrauded people out of millions of dollars with false hopes of a Hmong homeland.
Seng Xiong, 49, of Maplewood was found guilty in January in federal court of one count each of mail fraud and wire fraud.
Telling his victims he worked with the White House and the United Nations, authorities say Seng Xiong directed elders across the country to deposit $3,000 to $5,000 into a bank account under his name. In exchange they were guaranteed land, housing, school, jobs and social services in a new Hmong homeland in Southeast Asia.
Investigators with the Minnesota Crimes Task Force and the St. Paul Police Department in 2015 discovered more than $1 million in Seng Xiong’s Wells Fargo bank account tied to the scheme.
But the protesters — who came from as far away as California and Alaska — say Seng Xiong legitimately tried to bring about a Hmong homeland. They carried signs that read “Free Seng Xiong,” “We Need Justice” and “Seng Xiong Is Innocent.”
“It is not a scam,” said Marilyna Lor, one of the protesters. “He’s been helping to get a Hmong homeland.”
Seng Xiong is awaiting sentencing.