A man described in news reports as a “courier” and “link man” for the Las Vegas Sands Corp. has been arrested and charged with smuggling .5 million in cash to the United States from July 2013 to September 2015.
According to Calvinayre.com, Np Lap Seng was apprehended in New York on September 19, reportedly as he was about to leave the country on a private jet. Two days later, he was in federal court in Manhattan, where he was charged with conspiracy to obstruct and making false statements to US customs officials.
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations says the 68-year-old billionaire and an assistant, Jeff Yin traveled to the U.S. 11 times in the two-year period, each time carrying $200,000 to $900,000. In one incident in June 2014, Ng brought $400,000 cash and told customs officials he was planning to buy art and gamble in Las Vegas.
Ng was described in court as “a courier” for Sands Macau to the Chinese government. He is a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, a government advisory group, and head of the Sun Kian Yip Group, which runs the Fortuna casino and residential property in Macau.
In testimony in May, Sands Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson told the court he is unaware of Ng’s association with the Sands Corp. “I know of nobody in our company that dealt or was dealing with this Ng Lap Seng,” Adelson said at the time.
According to Bloomberg News, Adelson also denied that Ng was linked to an alleged $300 million bribe by Sands China Ltd. in Macau. Former Sands China CEO Steven Jacobs has alleged he was fired after he refused to perform illegal actions ordered by Adelson, including digging up dirt on Macau government officials that could make them vulnerable to coercion. In his ongoing unlawful termination lawsuit, Jacobs has contended that Sands China conducted a background investigation of Ng.
Ng’s assistant, Yin is being held on a $1 million bond.
