Inside the Indictment that Exposed Cambodia’s Scam State — Chen Zhi and the Prince Group

Episode 24: Jake Sims, expert on transnational crime and human rights, joins the Stolen podcast to take us through the indictment of Chen Zhi, Prince Group, and the U.S. Department of Justice forfeiture action of $15B in crypto.

When the U.S. unsealed its indictment against Cambodian tycoon Chen Zhi, it didn’t just take down one man — it exposed a global scam empire built on trafficking, corruption, and stolen crypto.

Erin West sits down with expert Jake Sims to unpack the historic $15 billion seizure, what it means for Cambodia’s ruling elite, and why this moment could redefine the global fight against organized cybercrime.

There’s a really good case to say that Cambodia is the top money-laundering country in the entire world — maybe ever in human history. — Jake Sims

Erin and Jake explore:
• Implications of the indictment of Chen Zhi
• Political landscape in Cambodia
• Role of organized crime in the region

Their discussion highlights the importance of international cooperation in combating the scam industry and the need for sustained multinational and multiagency collaboration to deter scam states. They talk about the nature of the asset seizure and the potential for future actions against other criminal actors.

Thank you to our Stolen podcast sponsors, BioCatch and Scamnetic.

See episode notes and more resources on the Operation Shamrock website: https://operationshamrock.org/podcast...