China’s pyramid scam ‘king’ falls

MANILA, Philippines - One of China’s most wanted fugitives, accused of victimizing 40,000 people through pyramid investment and illegal gambling scams, was arrested in Manila Sunday, a Bureau of Immigration (BI) official said yesterday.

Zhang Fuhui, 26, was apprehended in a unit at the Solex II building on Soler street, BI officer-in-charge Siegfred Mison said in a statement.

Two other Chinese, Huang Zhen Xue and Liu Ying, were arrested along with Zhang because they reportedly failed to present their travel documents.

The BI’s board of commissioners issued a summary deportation order against Zhang on Jan. 21 after the Chinese embassy alerted the bureau.

Zhang was reported to be the subject of an arrest warrant issued by police authorities at Huai An City in Jiangsu province, where he and several others were charged with economic crimes.

Chinese authorities alleged that in April 2012, Zhang and his accomplices set up a pyramid investment firm, Bao Ma, and advertised for clients through a website. The scheme defrauded an estimated 40,000 Chinese citizens of at least 1.5 billion yuan.

A few months later, Zhang and his gang allegedly set up another website and invited gamblers to bet on its online games. They reportedly lured more than 4,000 online gamblers, who wagered a total of more than 61 million yuan. The suspects earned more than 6.3 million yuan from the scheme, authorities said.

Zhang, who arrived in the Philippines in April last year, will be sent back to China as soon as the BI secured the required clearance for his deportation, BI acting intelligence chief Jose Carlitos Licas said.

The suspect’s name has been included in the immigration blacklist, Licas added.

Authorities have yet to determine whether Zhang, who is the subject of an Interpol alert, has victimized members of the Filipino-Chinese community.