Scam mafia kingpins put to death: China executes family behind empire that duped international internet users into fake romances and crypto rip-offs

UK Mail ^ | jan 29 | PERKIN AMALARAJ,

[dennisw]

China has executed 11 members of a notorious Myanmar mafia family that was infamous for duping victims in fake online romances.

The Ming crime family was sentenced to death in September by a court in the eastern Chinese city of Wenzhou, with the same court also carrying out the executions on Thursday.

Residents in the UK and the US have fallen victim to similar, sophisticated schemes, after being lured into romantic relationships that resulted in the loss of large amounts of cash.

The clan members were executed for crimes including 'intentional homicide, intentional injury, unlawful detention, fraud and casino establishment', according to news agency Xinhua.

The death sentences were approved by the Supreme People's Court in Beijing, which found that the evidence produced of crimes committed since 2015 was 'conclusive and sufficient'.

The 'Ming family criminal group' had contributed to the deaths of 14 Chinese citizens and injuries to 'many others', according to local media.

'The criminals' close relatives were allowed to meet with them before the execution,' Xinhua added.

Their empire of crime came crashing down in 2023 after they were detained and handed over to Chinese authorities by ethnic militias that had taken power in the town of Laukkaing amid rising conflicts with Myanmar's army.

Under Chinese law, criminals sentenced to death are executed either by firing squad or lethal injection.

The leader of the group, Chen Zhi, and his web of enablers had incorporated their businesses in the British Virgin Islands and invested in the London property market, acquiring assets including a £12 million mansion on Avenue Road in north London, a £100 million office building on Fenchurch Street in the City of London, and seventeen flats on New Oxford Street and in Nine Elms in south London.

[dennisw]

Myanmar = Burma as in Burma shave

[Col Frank Slade]

Fitting for scammers.

Wish everyone of them got the same.

[piasa]

From another thread :

…U.S. law enforcement, cooperating with UK law enforcement, announced the seizure of $15 billion in bitcoin from a Cambodian cyberscam ring on Oct. 14. This represents the largest-ever digital currency seizure by U.S. law enforcement.

Chen Zhi and his Prince Group conglomerate allegedly engaged in a massive wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy via at least 10 slave labor scam compounds across Cambodia.

The scam ring also used networks around the world, according to the Justice Department, and one such branch in Brooklyn was responsible for laundering millions of dollars taken from more than 250 victims in the United States.….

[DCBryan1]

Can we send our spam call centers to them ?

[Leaning Right]

It’s good to see a country taking strong action against these scammers. Assuming that they are guilty, of course.

There are many YouTube “scam baiters” who are very effective at disrupting scammers. But they can only do so much.

Our government should hire a couple of tech geeks. Give them an office plus a few powerful computers. Have them call-flood the scammers’ phone numbers. And likewise disrupt their emails.

Plus the government should be making public service warning announcements. I’ve never seen a single one.

All this would do much good, at very little cost.

[AppyPappy]

It sounds like a rebel group captured them and turned the over.

[virgil]

They sound like the perfect democrat voters the commies would invite into the US and give access to our welfare programs.

[piasa]

Sounds like several countries were working on the problem:

US, UK, China

October 14, 2025 : (—- FBI Dir Kash Patel) U.S. law enforcement, cooperating with UK law enforcement, announced the seizure of $15 billion in bitcoin from a Cambodian cyberscam ring on Oct. 14. This represents the largest-ever digital currency seizure by U.S. law enforcement.
Chen Zhi and his Prince Group conglomerate allegedly engaged in a massive wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy via at least 10 slave labor scam compounds across Cambodia.
The scam ring also used networks around the world, according to the Justice Department, and one such branch in Brooklyn was responsible for laundering millions of dollars taken from more than 250 victims in the United States.
——- Alarming Trend: Foreign Espionage Arrests Up 50 Percent: FBI
Epoch Times ^ | 10/16/2025 | Catherine Yang

[piasa]

China offers leniency if cronies of accused scam boss Chen Zhi surrender
Channel News Asia ^ | 15 Jan 2026
Posted on 1/15/2026, 1:23:05 PM by nickcarraway

Criminal associates of Chen Zhi who surrender before Feb 15 and “truthfully confess their crimes” could be eligible for “lighter or reduced sentences”, China’s Ministry of Public Security said.

China called on Thursday (Jan 15) for criminal associates of accused scam boss Chen Zhi to surrender voluntarily in return for lighter sentences, after their alleged ringleader was extradited from Cambodia.

Chen has been indicted by the United States on fraud and money-laundering charges for allegedly running a multibillion-dollar cyberscam network from Cambodia.

Beijing has also called Chen “the ringleader of a major cross-border gambling and fraud criminal syndicate”, and Cambodia deported him to China last week.

(Excerpt) Read more at channelnewsasia.com ...

[The Louiswu]

Take down one scammer and ten take their place. Meh.

[OldHarbor]

Geolocate them, then FPV drone them .

Knock knock, who’s there, Boom.

[piasa]

One thing about it, there is no lawfare clogging up the courts in China.

[dennisw]

Inside the lavish life of Cambodian scam empire boss Chen Zhi in Singapore

By Dat Nguyen   November 8, 2025 | 10:53 pm PT

Chen Zhi, founder and chairman of Prince Holding Group. Photo courtesy of Prince Holding Group

Chen Zhi, accused of masterminding a global scam network based in Cambodia, owns a collection of luxury assets in Singapore, including a $17 million penthouse, a Mercedes-Maybach, and a 53-meter yacht.

The 37-year-old chairman of Prince Holding Group has been identified by the U.S. and U.K. governments as the operator of a transnational criminal operation that used forced labor in scam centers and laundered billions of dollars worldwide.

As Chen remains at large, several countries have started to investigate his local activities and confiscated high-value assets.

Among them is Singapore, where local police last week launched an enforcement operation against Chen and his associates involving money laundering and forgery, seizing assets worth more than $115 million, including a yacht, 11 cars, and several bottles of liquor.

In the city-state, the Chinese-born purchased nearly $31 million worth of luxury properties in 2017, including a $17 million penthouse near Orchard Road, according to Bloomberg.

A $12 million suite at Le Nouvel Ardmore became a hub for his operations, featuring a wine cellar, karaoke room, and cigar lounge, according to people familiar with his activities.

[nitzy]

I REALLY want to know how you “seize” bitcoin.

How would that even work? Did they hack the scammer’s PCs and steal the private keys?

Were the bad guys storing their crypto on an exchange?

[ConservativeMind]

Now, that is an appropriate punishment!

[Twotone]

Wish everyone of them got the same.

---

Me, too. These people are obviously intelligent & have skills that would make them a good living. Instead they prey on others.

[Mouton]

Sounds like a plan. Now if we could just do it. An o s me that some chump here stole about 10k from some kids baseball league and they end up in the pen for a few years while these scumbag internet scammers steal millions and rarely get caught or spend a proportionate sentence to the little crook with no lawyer bragade.

[bwest]

I have a hard time using “mafia” and “Myanmar” in the same sentence. Sounds like cultural appropriation to me.

[thegagline]

Myanmar = Burma as in Burma shave

🎼I have a sad story to tell you
It may hurt your feelings a bit
last night I went to the bathroom
I stepped in a big pile of
Shaving cream,
Be nice and clean
Shave everyday
And you’ll always look keen

Benny Bell by way of Dr. Demento