BANGKOK: Thailand’s Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) has arrested a Ukrainian woman wanted for extradition after allegedly fleeing a major Ponzi/pyramid scheme fraud case in the United States and hiding in a condominium in central Phuket, police said at a press conference on Thursday (Feb 19).
The suspect, a Ukrainian national, is accused of conspiring to commit electronic fraud (wire fraud) in the form of a Ponzi/pyramid scheme, an offence under the United States Code.
Authorities said the alleged wrongdoing caused losses of more than US$340 million, or about THB 10.617 billion.
CCIB officers and local police executed a court-issued search warrant at a condominium in Chalong subdistrict, Mueang Phuket district. The search led to the suspect’s arrest and the seizure of multiple items, including mobile phones, computer equipment, a laptop, an iPad, and several important documents.
The suspect has denied all charges and said she will give testimony in court.
Police then escorted her to meet a prosecutor at the International Affairs Department, Office of the Attorney General, with US security and law-enforcement agencies — including the FBI, HSI and the USSS — observing.
Authorities said the process is being handled through the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) framework, before proceeding with the formal extradition request under the law. - The Nation/ANN
