The U.S. Treasury Department has officially sanctioned Myanmar casino investor Wan Kuok Koi, alleging acts of bribery and corruption in association with Chinese triad 14K. As a result, all of Koi’s property and interests in property in the U.S. or in the possession of U.S. citizens are henceforth blocked and must be reported to U.S. authorities, according to Asia Gaming Brief.
The sanctions prohibit anyone from providing funds, goods or services to Koi and his companies and also forbids Koi from entering the U.S. or its territories. In its press release, the U.S. also accused Koi of trying to expand the influence of the 14K under the guise of China’s Belt and Road initiative.
Koi, also known as “Broken Tooth,” is the head of the triad, which the U.S. says is one of the largest Chinese organized criminal groups in the world.
The government also sanctioned three entities associated with Koi, including the Hong Kong-registered Dongmei Group, chief backer of the giant Saixigang Zone in Burma. Dongmei has pledged $18 billion to develop the area, which the U.S. Institute for Peace has said will become a hub for iGaming firms that left Sihanoukville after Cambodia banned the activity under pressure from Beijing.
“This continues a pattern of overseas Chinese actors trying to paper over illegal criminal activities by framing their actions in terms of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the China Dream, or other major initiatives” of the Chinese Communist Party, the group said.
Koi was jailed in 2008 for triad-related activities in Macau, AGB reported. He was released in 2012.
