A middle-school dropout from Fujian becomes the mastermind behind one of the world’s largest telecom-fraud empires. Chen Zhi, chairman of Cambodia’s Prince Group, built a vast network of scam compounds across Southeast Asia—laundering billions through crypto while tens of thousands of trafficked workers were forced to run online fraud operations. In 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted him in a sweeping cybercrime case and seized billions in assets. But before he could face a U.S. courtroom, Cambodia abruptly stripped his citizenship and sent him back to China. Why did Beijing move so quickly to reclaim him? The rise and fall of Chen Zhi exposes the darker side of Belt and Road capital, organized crime, and the political protection behind Asia’s scam-park industry.
