Federal authorities have unveiled a major offensive targeting cybercrime networks operating across Southeast Asia, with U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro describing the effort Friday as part of a “new theater of war” the Trump administration is waging against Chinese organized crime syndicates.
The comprehensive operation, spearheaded by a newly formed Scam Center Strike Force, resulted in Treasury Department sanctions against 29 individuals and entities, including a high-profile Cambodian legislator. Federal prosecutors have also brought criminal charges against two Chinese citizens connected to similar schemes in Myanmar.
During a virtual news conference linking Washington with reporters across Asia, Pirro outlined the scope of the initiative, which includes obtaining warrants to dismantle a significant recruitment operation on Telegram and freezing hundreds of millions in criminal proceeds.
Online fraud has exploded throughout Southeast Asia in recent years, with Cambodia and Myanmar serving as major hubs for illegal enterprises that generate enormous profits by targeting victims worldwide, according to United Nations researchers and crime analysts. FBI data shows Americans alone suffered losses approaching $21 billion from cyber-enabled fraud and digital scams during 2025.
These criminal enterprises are deeply connected to human trafficking networks, exploiting foreign workers who are lured with promises of legitimate employment only to be forced into operating romance scams and cryptocurrency fraud under conditions resembling modern slavery.
The strike force brings together Pirro’s U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, along with the FBI and Secret Service.
The operation’s highest-profile target is Kok An, a Cambodian senator and influential business figure whom Treasury officials have labeled a “scam center kingpin.”
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions on Kok An and his associates for their alleged roles in a criminal network that has reportedly stolen millions from American victims. The penalties freeze any U.S.-based assets belonging to Kok An and ban American businesses from conducting transactions with him.
Attempts by The Associated Press to reach Kok An or his representatives were unsuccessful.
“His Excellency Kok An is a Cambodian Senator and he was elected by elections, and as a senator he has parliamentary immunity,” stated Chea Thyrith, a spokesperson for Cambodia’s Senate, adding that only American officials could provide clear details about the sanctions.
This marks at least the second time the U.S. has sanctioned a Cambodian senator. In 2024, Washington took similar action against another wealthy businessman, Ly Yong Phat, who faced accusations of involvement in forced labor, human trafficking and profitable online fraud schemes.
According to Pirro, the current enforcement action began in November when FBI agents deployed to Thailand gained access to extensive evidence recovered from a deserted scam facility in Myanmar, including over 8,000 mobile phones and 1,500 computer devices.
This evidence led to wire fraud conspiracy charges against two Chinese nationals, Huang Xing Shan and Jiang Wen Jie, who allegedly managed the Myanmar compound before attempting to relocate their operations to Cambodia. Both men are currently detained by Thai authorities on immigration charges while the U.S. pursues their extradition, Pirro explained.
Cambodia’s parliament unanimously passed legislation in March specifically targeting online scam operations with penalties up to life imprisonment, following government promises to eliminate these centers by April’s end.
This past January, Cambodia extradited another suspected scam leader, Chen Zhi, founder of the Prince Holding Group business empire, to China despite U.S. efforts to secure custody after indicting him last year for allegedly orchestrating a massive fraud operation.
