{
  "id": 505160,
  "title": "Unmasked: Bosses behind Chen Zhi’s global scam syndicate hired S’poreans as personal assistants",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/unmasked-bosses-behind-chen-zhis-global-scam-syndicate-hired-sporeans",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-10T21:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Straits Times",
    "slug": "straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/unmasked-bosses-behind-chen-zhis-global-scam-syndicate-hired-sporeans-as-personal-assistants"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Four Singaporean men, Alfred Law Hon Kit, Ryan Lee Chee Keong, Jason Teo Jing Shen, and Alex Lim Zhongliang, have been revealed as personal assistants to Chen Zhi, a Cambodian national and chairman of Prince Holding Group. This conglomerate was involved in various businesses, including real estate and banking, and was part of a multibillion-dollar global criminal syndicate, according to the US Treasury.\n\nThe Singaporeans claimed they unknowingly entered a murky world of scam compounds and money laundering. They spoke with The Straits Times, denying any knowledge of criminal activities and stating they severed ties with Chen Zhi and his associates when the US imposed sanctions and criminal indictments against him, his associates, Prince Group, and several other companies linked to the conglomerate.\n\nThe men were identified through documents and official records, and their roles in the syndicate were confirmed. Lee and Teo were found on a flight to Palau in April 2019, which carried top officials of Chen Zhi's criminal syndicate. The plane belonged to another Chinese national, Hu Xiaowei, who was also sanctioned by the US and identified as Chen Zhi's second-in-command.\n\nThe men were hired to work for Chen Sokly and Xiong Huajun, two Chinese nationals associated with Chen Zhi. Sokly was identified as Chen Zhi's co-conspirator 2 and an alleged enforcer of the syndicate. Xiong remained out of any sanctions list to date. The three men were closely connected through a web of companies in Mauritius and were neighbors in Singapore's Leedon Heights estate.\n\nLaw first met Sokly in 2017 while working in Thailand, where he was offered a job by Sokly through another Singaporean, Alan Yeo Sin Huat. Yeo, who has been sanctioned by the US for acting as Chen Zhi's wealth manager, helped coordinate wire transfers and managed Prince Group's illicit activities. Law is a director of three of Sokly's firms and is a $100,000 shareholder in one of them.",
  "summary": "Singaporeans hired as personal assistants unknowingly stumbled into a murky world of scam compounds and money laundering.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}