US Seizes $15 Billion in Bitcoin From Leader of Southeast Asian Online Scam Network

Governments of the United States and United Kingdom imposed coordinated sanctions against individuals and entities linked to the group.
US Seizes $15 Billion in Bitcoin From Leader of Southeast Asian Online Scam Network
The Department of Justice seal is seen during a news conference at the DOJ office in Washington on May 16, 2023. Jose Luis Magana/ AP Photo
Bill Pan
Bill Pan
Reporter
|Updated:
0:00

Federal authorities have seized $15 billion in bitcoin from Chen Zhi, a Chinese-Cambodian kingpin accused of running a sprawling scam enterprise that relies on human trafficking and slavery, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Tuesday.

The asset seizure is part of a broader criminal investigation into Chen and his conglomerate, Prince Group, a Cambodia-based business empire that prosecutors said masked one of Asia’s largest transnational fraud and human trafficking networks.