Chen Zhi extradited to China amid global probe of Prince Group scams and gambling
Chen Zhi, founder of Prince Group, was extradited from Cambodia to China amid allegations of running large-scale online gambling, fraud networks and cross-border money laundering.
Overview
Chen Zhi, alleged head of Prince Group and indicted in the U.S., was escorted from a China Southern flight to custody in Beijing after extradition from Cambodia.
Authorities allege he ran online gambling, 'pig butchering' scams and money laundering across Cambodia, Myanmar and other countries, defrauding victims of billions.
Cambodia revoked his citizenship, ordered liquidation of Prince Bank, and multiple jurisdictions including Hong Kong and Singapore froze assets tied to Prince Group.
Chen cultivated philanthropy and government ties in Cambodia — vaccine donations, scholarships and advisory titles — while prosecutors and experts say those masked illicit operations.
Chinese authorities said they will issue arrest warrants for other network members; U.S. prosecutors have unsealed an indictment, but it’s unclear if the U.S. influenced extradition.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame Chen as a criminal mastermind by juxtaposing prosecutors' allegations and vivid police imagery with minimal defense, using evaluative words ('boasted') and highlighting law‑enforcement milestones. Editorial choices prioritize official and court documents; quoted denials and philanthropic ties appear as source content but are structurally downplayed.
Sources (3)
FAQ
Chen Zhi faces charges in the United States for operating forced-labor scam compounds in Cambodia that conducted large-scale online investment fraud or “pig butchering” schemes targeting victims worldwide, along with related wire fraud and money laundering offenses, while Chinese authorities accuse him of running extensive online gambling, fraud, and cross‑border money‑laundering networks tied to Prince Group’s operations in Cambodia, Myanmar, and other countries.
Prince Group, officially Prince Holding Group, is a Cambodia‑based conglomerate founded by Chen Zhi in 2015 with major interests in real estate, financial services such as Prince Bank, and casinos in Sihanoukville; U.S. and U.K. authorities allege that under Chen’s leadership it became a front for large cyber‑scam and online gambling operations, including compounds where trafficked workers carried out fraud that generated billions of dollars.
Cambodia revoked Chen Zhi’s citizenship and ordered the liquidation of Prince Bank after international investigations and sanctions linked him and Prince Group to transnational online gambling, fraud, and money‑laundering schemes, with authorities and foreign governments freezing group assets and describing it as part of one of Asia’s largest transnational criminal organizations.
Investigators have frozen or seized extensive assets tied to Prince Group, including 127,271 bitcoin—valued at over US$14 billion at the time, the largest cryptocurrency seizure to date—along with 19 London properties, about HK$2.75 billion (roughly US$354 million) in Hong Kong, and roughly S$150 million (about US$115 million) plus luxury assets such as six properties, 11 cars, and a yacht in Singapore.
Chen Zhi built influence in Cambodia by rapidly expanding Prince Group’s investments in real estate, banking, and casinos, securing a government‑bestowed tycoon honorific, serving as an adviser to top Cambodian leaders, and promoting a high‑profile philanthropic image through donations such as scholarships and Covid‑19 vaccine support, even as foreign authorities later alleged his empire masked forced‑labor scam compounds and other illicit activities.
History
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