Chinese Court Sentences 11 Scammers to Death

CCP Chinese Court Sentences 11 Members of Notorious Crime Family Syndicate To Death For Scams, Telecom Fraud, Cybercrime, And Murder

Primary Category: NEWS

Authors:
•  SCARS Editorial Team – Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc.
•  Portions from: China Daily & Gulf News

About This Article

A Chinese court sentenced 39 members of a Myanmar-based crime family for fraud, murder, and organized cybercrime, and 11 to death, signaling a hard line against cross-border scam syndicates. Eleven ringleaders received death sentences, five received suspended death sentences, and others received life terms or long prison terms. Court findings described illegal casinos, telecom fraud, drug trafficking, and forced labor in Kokang compounds where workers were trafficked, confined, beaten, and, in some cases, killed. Proceeds exceeded 10 billion yuan, and at least 14 Chinese nationals died. The case followed joint operations with Myanmar that dismantled scam centers, freed thousands of enslaved workers, and underscored Beijing’s view of large-scale fraud as a national security threat.

CCP Chinese Court Sentences 11 Members of Notorious Crime Family Syndicate To Death For Scams, Telecom Fraud, Cybercrime, And Murder

According to China Daily:

Thirty-nine members of a family-run syndicate based in northern Myanmar have been convicted on multiple charges, including crimes that killed 14 Chinese nationals and injured six others, a Chinese court announced on Monday.

The Wenzhou Intermediate People’s Court in East China’s Zhejiang province found the defendants guilty of 14 offenses, such as fraud, intentional killing, and intentional injury. Sentences were handed down based on each individual’s criminal acts, circumstances, and the degree of harm caused to society, the court said.

Eleven people, including ringleaders Mg Myin Shaunt Phyin and Ma Thiri Maung, were sentenced to death. Five others received death sentences with a two-year reprieve, and 11 were given life imprisonment.

The remaining defendants were sentenced to prison terms ranging from five to 24 years. Several were also fined, had their properties confiscated, or were ordered deported, according to the court.

The court said the criminal group had used its influence in Myanmar’s Kokang region to build an armed faction and commit a range of offenses since 2015. It established scam compounds in the area and collaborated with other gangs that provided funding and armed support. Their activities included telecom fraud, casino operations, drug trafficking, and organized prostitution.

The syndicate’s crimes led to the deaths of 14 Chinese nationals and injuries to six others, with total proceeds from gambling and fraud exceeding 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion), the court said.

More than 160 people, including family members of the defendants as well as national lawmakers and political advisers, attended the sentencing.

The case had drawn wide public attention since 2023. In November that year, the Wenzhou public security department issued a wanted notice for the group’s suspected leaders. Following law enforcement cooperation between China and Myanmar, three key members were captured and handed over to the Chinese police for investigation.

In 2024, prosecutors charged the 39 members with multiple crimes, including conducting telecom fraud targeting residents in China.

In recent years, China has intensified its campaign against telecom fraud and sent working groups to countries such as Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia for joint law enforcement efforts.

In July, the Ministry of Public Security said Chinese police had solved 1.74 million telecom fraud cases during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–25) period. The joint operations dismantled more than 2,000 overseas fraud centers and led to the capture of over 80,000 suspects.

In a separate case, the trial of 21 members of another Myanmar-based family syndicate accused of fraud, intentional killing, and intentional injury concluded in September in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. The court said the verdict will be announced at a later date.

The sentences

• 11 sentenced to death: The Wenzhou Intermediate People’s Court condemned to death Ming Guoping, Ming Zhenzhen, Zhou Weichang, and eight others.
• Other punishments: Five more received suspended death sentences (usually commuted to life in prison), 11 were jailed for life, and the remaining defendants were handed prison terms ranging from five to 24 years.
• Total convicted: 39 Ming family members were sentenced on Monday.

The crimes

According to court findings:

• Since 2015, the Ming syndicate and allied groups ran illegal casinos, online scams, drug trafficking, and prostitution.
• Their operations generated more than 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion).
• Workers recruited — many through false job offers — were trafficked and imprisoned in scam compounds.
• At least 10 workers were killed while trying to escape, and others were beaten or tortured.
• One notorious site, Crouching Tiger Villa, became a symbol of cruelty where enslaved workers were forced to run “romance-investment scams” targeting global victims.

The rise and fall of the Ming family

• The Mings were among four powerful clans in Laukkaing, a Chinese-speaking enclave along the Myanmar-China border.
• Originally fuelled by gambling demand from China, the town’s casinos evolved into fronts for money laundering and cyber scams.
• At their peak, Ming-run compounds held 10,000 workers, most of them Chinese nationals trapped in forced labour.
• In 2023, after Beijing issued arrest warrants, Myanmar authorities cracked down, arresting key family members and extraditing them to China.
• Patriarch Ming Xuechang reportedly committed suicide before capture.

Beijing’s cross-border campaign

• China has treated scam syndicates as a national security threat.
• Joint operations with Myanmar and Thailand earlier this year freed more than 7,000 enslaved workers.
• Beijing has leaned on regional governments to dismantle centres; in Shan State, Chinese pressure was seen as crucial to an insurgent offensive that toppled Myanmar’s military control over Laukkaing in 2023.
• Similar pressure has pushed Thailand to crack down on scam dens along its border, though many networks have since shifted operations to Cambodia.

A $40 billion global ‘scamdemic’

• According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, online scam centres across Southeast Asia generate more than $40 billion annually.
• These networks run everything from fake investment schemes to romance scams, often targeting victims in China but also across the US, Europe, and the Middle East.
• The industry is heavily reliant on trafficked labour, with victims lured by fake job ads and then forcibly confined, beaten, or killed if they disobey.

Signal from Beijing

By sentencing the Ming family ringleaders to death, Beijing is sending a message to other syndicates operating in Southeast Asia: China will pursue, extradite, and punish scam operators with maximum severity.

Glossary

• 14th Five-Year Plan (China) — This national planning period covers 2021 to 2025 and sets crime-control and economic priorities. Courts and police report results against telecom fraud within this timeframe, which helps the public understand the scale and progress.
• Armed faction — This describes a private, organized group that uses weapons to control territory or people. In scam regions, such groups may guard compounds, intimidate workers, and resist police, which raises risks for victims trying to escape.
• Asset confiscation — This court-ordered seizure removes money, property, or tools used to commit crimes. It reduces the syndicate’s capacity to reoffend and may support restitution or fines set by the court.
• Captured and handed over — This phrase refers to suspects apprehended abroad and transferred to another country’s police. It signals cross-border cooperation that can break safe havens and move cases toward trial.
• Casino operations (illegal) — These are gambling businesses run without legal authorization. They often serve as fronts for money movement, debt bondage, and recruitment into scams.
• Confiscation of property — This penalty removes criminal assets, including buildings, vehicles, and accounts. It aims to dismantle the infrastructure that enabled the fraud and to deter future activity.
• Conviction — A conviction is a court’s finding that defendants committed the charged offenses. It allows sentencing that matches harm and signals that the evidence met legal standards.
• Cross-border law enforcement — This coordination joins agencies from different countries to pursue the same suspects or networks. It increases arrests, reduces safe corridors, and shortens the time to disrupt scam centers.
• Crouching Tiger Villa — This named site functioned as a notorious compound where workers were confined and forced to perpetrate scams. Its mention documents a specific location tied to violence and coercion.
• Death sentence — This is the most severe criminal penalty under certain legal systems. Courts reserve it for offenses judged extremely harmful, and appeals or reviews typically follow.
• Death sentence with two-year reprieve — This sentence delays execution for two years while behavior is evaluated. It is often commuted to life imprisonment if no further crimes occur and their conduct is compliant.
• Deportation order — This measure requires a convicted non-citizen to leave the country and bans reentry for a period or permanently. It removes foreign offenders from the jurisdiction where the crimes were tried.
• Drug trafficking — This offense involves producing, transporting, or selling illegal drugs. Fraud syndicates may add drug income to fund security, bribes, and technology.
• Extradition — Extradition is a formal legal process to move a suspect from one country to another to face charges. It relies on treaties or special agreements and can be decisive against mobile networks.
• Family-run syndicate — This network is controlled by related individuals who combine kinship with criminal hierarchy. Family bonds may shield leadership and speed recruitment, which complicates investigations.
• Forced confinement — This practice restricts movement through guards, locks, or threats. It prevents workers from leaving scam compounds and increases danger when escape is attempted.
• Forced labor — This crime compels people to work under threats, violence, or debt. In scam centers, forced labor may include long shifts, beatings, and withheld documents.
• Fraud proceeds — This term describes the money earned from scams, gambling, or related crimes. Large totals indicate industrial-scale operations and justify major penalties.
• Human trafficking — This crime exploits people through coercion, deception, or force for work or services. Trafficking often begins with fake job offers and ends with confinement and abuse.
• Illegal casinos — These venues operate without licenses and often link to laundering and extortion. Their cash flow provides cover for fraud payouts and bribe payments.
• Intentional injury — This charge covers deliberate acts that cause bodily harm. It signals physical violence used to control victims or punish resistance.
• Intentional killing — This charge alleges purposeful actions that caused death. It elevates a case from financial crime to lethal harm and triggers the harshest penalties.
• Joint operations — These are planned actions by multiple agencies or countries at the same time. They can dismantle several fraud centers in one sweep and rescue large numbers of victims.
• Kokang region — This area in northern Myanmar borders China and hosts multilingual, cross-border commerce. Its geography and mixed governance have allowed scam compounds to take root.
• Laukkaing enclave — This Chinese-speaking border town became a hub for casinos and cyber scams. High worker counts and entrenched clans increased the scale and complexity of crime.
• Life imprisonment — This sentence confines a person for the remainder of their life, sometimes with limited parole options. It removes top offenders from the network and deters successors.
• Ministry of Public Security (China) — This national police authority directs anti-fraud campaigns and international coordination. Its statistics on cases and arrests show enforcement momentum and scope.
• Money laundering — This process hides the criminal origin of funds through layered transactions. Scam syndicates use casinos, online wallets, and shell firms to move and disguise money.
• Online scam center — This facility houses teams that conduct fraud using scripts, databases, and social platforms. It may combine tech rooms, dormitories, guards, and punishment areas.
• Patriarch suicide before capture — This phrase records a leader’s death during pursuit, which removes a key witness but may fracture the group’s command. It can also shift focus to the remaining lieutenants.
• Public security department (city or provincial) — This local police arm issues wanted notices and leads arrests. Its alerts help victims, families, and banks recognize suspects and patterns.
• Ringleader — A ringleader plans, directs, or controls significant parts of the criminal enterprise. Courts assign heavier penalties to ringleaders to reflect command responsibility.
• Romance-investment scam — This method blends fake relationships with investment fraud, often using crypto or trading apps. It starts with trust-building and ends with large, staged “investment” losses.
• Scam compound — This site concentrates labor, tech, and security for mass fraud. High walls, guards, and surveillance keep workers inside and evidence contained.
• Sentencing hearing — This court session imposes penalties after conviction. Attendance by lawmakers and advisers underscores public interest and transparency.
• Shan State — This Myanmar region includes conflict zones and semi-autonomous areas. Weak governance in parts of the state has enabled criminal sanctuaries.
• Suspended death sentence — This penalty places execution on hold while conduct is monitored. It functions as a pathway to life terms if no further offenses occur.
• Telecom fraud — This category includes phone, text, and online deception used to steal money or data. Scripts often exploit urgency, romance, or authority to trigger transfers.
• Trafficked workers via fake job offers — This scheme lures applicants with high-pay roles, then confiscates documents and imposes debts. It transforms job seekers into coerced labor for scam operations.
• UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) — This United Nations agency studies and combats organized crime. Its estimates of regional fraud revenue provide context for the scale of harm.
• Wanted notice — This public alert lists names and identifiers of suspects sought by police. It invites tips, pressures associates, and warns potential victims.
• Wenzhou Intermediate People’s Court — This court in Zhejiang province heard the case and issued sentences. Its rulings combined death penalties, life terms, long prison terms, fines, and confiscations.

Please Rate This Article

Please Leave Us Your Comment
Also, tell us of any topics we might have missed.

Thank you for your comment. You may receive an email to follow up. We never share your data with marketers.

-/ 30 /-

What do you think about this?
Please share your thoughts in a comment above!