Cambodian Senator Kok An sanctioned by the US! Involved in 28 pig-butchering entities, Tether freezes 344 million USDT on the same day

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On April 23, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s OFAC sanctioned Cambodian Senator Kok An and 28 affiliated entities, accusing them of transforming their resorts and casinos into crypto scam centers where human trafficking victims are forced to execute pig-butchering scams. On the same day, the DOJ Scam Center Strike Force seized 503 fraudulent domains, and Tether coordinated the freezing of 344 million USDT. Americans lose at least $10 billion annually to Southeast Asian scam centers. (Previous coverage: 127,000 BTC confiscated! The U.S. cracks down on the Southeast Asian "pig-butchering empire" Prince Group, simultaneously sanctioning Huione Group) (Background: Tinder pig-butchering scam exposed! The U.S. DOJ recovers 200,000 USDT, revealing the three-step trap of romance scams) Resorts, casinos, and luxury estates—assets held by some of Cambodia’s wealthiest and most powerful figures are now viewed by the U.S. Treasury as factories: specialized production lines for pig-butchering scams. On April 23, the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) officially named Cambodian Senator Kok An, along with 28 affiliated entities, to its sanctions list. The reason: he allegedly leads a massive, cryptocurrency-centered scam network spanning Southeast Asia, victimizing not only Americans who have lost their savings but also innocent people trafficked and forced to work day and night in these scam centers. Kok An is no stranger to power. As a prominent figure in Cambodian politics and business, he holds extensive interests in resorts, casinos, and related industries, long considered one of the wealthiest and most well-connected tycoons in the country. However, in its April 23 press release, OFAC alleged that this glamorous business empire has a darker purpose: Kok An leased or transferred his properties to criminal organizations, turning them into crypto scam centers that use human trafficking victims as "employees" to mass-produce pig-butchering scams targeting Americans. OFAC noted that the work of these trafficked victims is highly standardized: they pose as romantic interests, build relationships with targets via social media or dating apps, and then lure them into depositing funds into fake cryptocurrency trading platforms under the guise of "guaranteed investment opportunities," after which the money becomes impossible to withdraw. Meanwhile, these casinos are also used to launder criminal proceeds, utilizing complex financial structures to legitimize illicit funds. The scale of this operation goes far beyond a single sanction. The 28 affiliated entities simultaneously sanctioned by OFAC include multiple casinos, casino operators, banks, and investment firms, all identified as being directly linked to Kok An’s scam network. On the same day, the DOJ’s Scam Center Strike Force announced a major operation: the seizure of 503 fraudulent domains and one social media platform, as well as the indictment of two suspects operating scam centers in Myanmar who were attempting to expand into Cambodia. According to the DOJ press release, the Strike Force is currently focusing its efforts on Southeast Asia, particularly the clusters of scam compounds in Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos. Tether also announced on the same day that, in coordination with OFAC, it had frozen 344 million USDT involved in illicit activities, marking one of the most significant cases to date of a cryptocurrency issuer cooperating with law enforcement to freeze assets. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated clearly in the announcement: "Treasury will continue to target fraudsters and scam centers that steal billions of dollars from hardworking Americans, no matter where they operate or how well-connected they are." This sanction is not an isolated event but the latest step in the U.S.'s ongoing pressure on Southeast Asian scam compounds. The Treasury estimates that Americans lose at least $10 billion annually to these centers, a staggering figure. Looking back to last autumn, the DOJ confiscated approximately $14 billion worth of Bitcoin in a Cambodian crypto scam case, setting a record for the largest asset seizure in DOJ history. The Prince Group case also shocked the world: the U.S. seized 127,000 BTC, simultaneously sanctioned the Huione Group, and revealed that 9 Taiwanese companies and 3 women were involved in its scam and money laundering network. The reason cryptocurrency has become the preferred payment channel for pig-butchering scams is simple: cross-border transfers are fast, highly anonymous, and difficult to trace, and in the regions where these Southeast Asian scam compounds are located, regulation is virtually non-existent. Once victims transfer funds to a scam platform, even if they realize the fraud later, it is almost impossible to recover the money through traditional financial channels. The OFAC sanctions against Kok An carry both symbolic and substantive weight, but their limitations are also clear. Symbolically, this is the most significant action the U.

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