Prosecutors said that hundreds of people were trafficked and forced to work in the scam compounds, “often under the threat of violence.”
Zhi and a network of top executives in the Prince Group are accused of using political influence in multiple countries to protect their criminal enterprise and paid bribes to public officials to avoid actions by law enforcement authorities targeting the scheme, according to prosecutors.
Yikes, the indictment PDF on this page has pictures of the operation, including tortured scammers.
I know someone who fell for these scams. The prolonged romantic angle really sinks it’s teeth in on a certain type of person, and is harder to accept.