Cambodia extradites alleged scam kingpin to China, sidestepping US

The Cambodian government announced the arrest and extradition of alleged scam kingpin, Chen, to China in an apparent snub to the United States (U.S.) as it was also wanted by the U.S. authorities.

In a statement on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, officials said that the chairman of Cambodia’s Prince Holding Group was arrested at the request of Chinese authorities following months of an investigation, adding that the suspect was extradited to China on Tuesday.

Chen had dual nationality and his Cambodian citizenship was revoked in December 2025.

He was accused of defrauding victims worldwide through his transnational criminal network by the U.S. Treasury Department and the United Kingdom (U.K.) Foreign Office.

The U.S. and U.K. imposed sanctions on Chen and his companies and have seized $14 billion worth of bitcoin linked to Chen. He was charged with wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies.

Chen was indicted in Brooklyn and there has been no official comment from the prosecutor’s office. Chen and Prince Holding Group have denied any wrongdoing.

Estimates from the United Nations (U.N.) suggest fraud victims lost $18 billion to $37 billion in 2023. Americans alone lost $14 billion to scams in 2024.