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.
Prosecutors said Chen, 38, founded Prince Group in 2015 and personally oversaw its expansion. The organization allegedly lured workers through fake job postings, then held them captive in heavily guarded compounds where they were forced—under constant threat of torture—to commit online scams….