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Senate spokesperson Chea Thirth told CamboJA News that Kok An has “immunity” as a member of Cambodia’s Senate when asked about the U.S. sanctions, adding that any questions should be directed to U.S. authorities.
The United States on Wednesday sanctioned Cambodian Senator Kok An, accusing him and 28 associates and entities of running scam compounds that stole millions from American victims, the Treasury Department said.
The move coincided with action by the Scam Center Strike Force, an interagency initiative targeting online scam networks, which charged two Chinese nationals it said ran a crypto fraud compound in Myanmar and tried to open another in Cambodia. Authorities also seized a Telegram channel allegedly used to recruit trafficking victims and shut down 503 fake investment websites.
“My office will continue working to recover funds stolen from victims,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia said at a press briefing on Friday, adding that authorities had restrained more than $700 million in cryptocurrency for American victims.
Kok An is the latest Cambodian senator sanctioned by Washington over alleged links to scam operations, following the 2024 blacklisting of Ly Yong Phat. Other business elites have also been targeted, including Chen Zhi, a Chinese national turned Cambodian tycoon and founder of Prince Group, which the United States and Britain have labeled a major transnational crime organization.
Chen had served as an adviser to Prime Minister Hun Manet and his father, Senate President Hun Sen. Manet has said he was not aware Chen was a “kingpin.”
Cambodia extradited Chen to China in January, adding momentum to Phnom Penh’s widely publicized crackdown on the industry, though analysts have called for deeper scrutiny of officials and elites linked to the sector.
Kok An owns numerous companies, including Crown Resorts, and properties that house scam compounds, the Treasury said, adding that victims trafficked to these sites reported thousands of others were forced to carry out scams under threat of violence. He is also the subject of an arrest warrant in Thailand for related alleged crimes.
“Eliminating fraud is a top priority for the Trump Administration,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. “Treasury will continue to target fraudsters and scam centers that steal billions of dollars from hardworking Americans, no matter where they operate or how well-connected they are.”
Alongside Kok An, authorities designated Anco Brothers, a firm he owns that holds casino licenses, as well as associate Rithy Raksmei and his K99 Group, and companies tied to alleged scam sites and co-located casinos in Sihanoukville, including Xing Tian Di Co Ltd and Nan Tian International Hotel Co Ltd.
Raksmei’s reported associates Aik Paung and Sai Aung Linn were also targeted, along with firms including Xihu Resort and Heng Feng Group and its bank. The measures also hit casino-linked operator Brilliancy Sihanoukville Investment, the Treasury said.
Cambodian government spokesperson Pen Bona did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Reporters attempted to reach Kok An via numbers listed in the corporate registry, but calls went unanswered.
As a self-imposed April deadline to eliminate scam operations approaches, the government has said an ongoing crackdown has shuttered hundreds of compounds and deported thousands of foreign workers, and that the effort will continue.
Washington has previously accused senior Cambodian officials of benefiting from forced criminality in scam compounds, labeling the country a “state sponsor” of human trafficking in an annual State Department report. Hun Manet has denied the government has benefited from the scam industry, but said the illicit sector has overshadowed the economy.
Pirro said U.S. authorities are watching the crackdown closely. “We are waiting to see whether that will actually change the prevalence of scams in Cambodia,” she said.
