Prosecutors Seize Yachts, Luxury Cars From Man Accused Of Running Cambodia Cyberscams - Beritaja

In this photograph released by the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau, luxury athletics vehicles are parked astatine 1 of the seized properties which belongs to the suspected caput of a criminal scamming syndicate, successful Taipei, Taiwan, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau/AP

Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau/AP

BANGKOK — Prosecutors successful Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore seized hundreds of millions of dollars successful assets belonging to a Cambodian businessman whom the U.S. accuses of heading a world scam syndicate.

It's the latest successful a drawstring of investigations and plus seizures that began erstwhile American prosecutors charged Chen Zhi, the laminitis of Cambodia's Prince Holding Group, pinch moving a large-scale cyber-scam web whose operations span countries including the U.S., the U.K. and Palau.

U.S. authorities charged Chen pinch ligament fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy successful an indictment revealed Oct. 14, alongside a monolithic seizure of crypto assets that included immoderate $14 cardinal successful bitcoin. The U.S. and U.K. authorities besides announced associated sanctions against Chen and his collaborators, arsenic good arsenic his company.

In this photograph released by Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau, Investigation Bureau agents cheque documents aft they seized an flat which belongs to the suspected caput of a criminal scamming syndicate, successful Taipei, Taiwan, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau/AP

Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau/AP

Networks of scammers based successful Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and the Philippines person provoked expanding interest successful caller years, pinch the U.N. estimating that they return successful tens of billions of dollars each twelvemonth from victims crossed the world via schemes that scope from clone investments to romance-based scams.

They allege that the Prince Holding Group criminal web scammed 250 victims successful the U.S., according to the indictment.

The Prince Holding Group did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

A increasing database of plus seizures picture a man pinch hundreds of millions of dollars' worthy of assets dispersed crossed jurisdictions.

Singapore launched an investigation connected Oct. 30 aft announcing the seizure of financial assets belonging to Chen worthy much than $150 cardinal Singaporean dollars ($114 million), arsenic good arsenic a yacht and shelves of liquor.

On Tuesday, Taiwanese prosecutors seized assets from Chen Zhi worthy $150 cardinal while detaining 25 suspects. That included 26 luxury cars including a Ferrari, Bugatti and a Porsche, arsenic good arsenic 11 apartments successful an upscale building successful Taipei, prosecutors said. Taiwanese media identified it arsenic the aforesaid building wherever personage and Mandarin popular superstar Jay Chou lives.

The aforesaid time Hong Kong, constabulary announced the seizure of $2.75 cardinal Hong Kong dollars ($353 million) worthy of assets made up of mostly cash, stocks and different funds, which section media identified arsenic belonging to Chen Zhi.

U.K. authorities announced seizures of a $12 cardinal lb ($15.6 million) mansion successful North London and a $100 cardinal lb ($130 million) agency building connected Oct. 14.

Chen is simply a Chinese nationalist who gained Cambodian citizenship and a spot successful the Cambodian elite. Prince has aggregate businesses, moving a slope and investments successful existent property successful the country.

However, prosecutors opportunity the bulk of his wealthiness came from scamming. According to the U.S. indictment, Chen erstwhile bragged that the alleged "pig butchering" scam was pulling successful $30 cardinal a day.

Chen has served arsenic an advisor to Prime Minister Hun Manet and his father, erstwhile Prime Minister Hun Sen, and was honored pinch the title "neak oknha" — balanced to an English lord. Pheaktra Neth, the Minister of Information for Cambodia's government, said he had nary remark successful consequence to questions from the AP.