China Executes 11 Members of Crypto Romance Scam Family That Stole Billions

Eleven members of a powerful crime family behind massive online romance and cryptocurrency scams have been executed by the Chinese government, authorities announced, following the collapse of an international fraud operation that targeted victims around the world.

The group, known as the Ming family, ran scam centers out of Myanmar, where victims were lured online through fake romantic relationships and then persuaded to pour money into phony cryptocurrency “investments.” While the schemes primarily targeted Chinese-speaking victims, officials say people across multiple countries were defrauded.

The family’s leader, Ming Xuechang, reportedly took his own life to avoid being arrested and brought back to China to face prosecution alongside his relatives.

Chinese courts said the operation pulled in more than $1 billion a year beginning in 2015. Prosecutors also alleged that at least six Chinese nationals died in connection with the scams, while countless others lost their life savings.

The criminal network collapsed in 2023 after the Ming family and their associates were arrested in Myanmar and transferred to China. Eleven family members were later sentenced to death, while more than 20 others received long prison sentences on charges including fraud, illegal gambling, kidnapping, and homicide.

Court testimony described brutal conditions inside the scam compounds. Workers were allegedly kidnapped or trafficked and forced to run scams under threats of violence. Beatings and torture were said to be common, and prosecutors claimed some workers were shot while trying to escape and return to China.

The Ming family was one of several criminal clans that turned the border town of Laukkaing, Myanmar, into a hub for illegal activity. Underground casinos catering to Chinese gamblers eventually expanded into large-scale money laundering operations, human trafficking rings, and telecom fraud centers.

Investigators also found that local police were effectively under the family’s control, acting as a private force to protect the operation and silence resistance.

Some defendants reportedly confessed in court and expressed remorse, but the executions underscore China’s aggressive crackdown on scam networks operating along its borders.

The announcement came the same day British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as the two leaders discussed trade, diplomacy, and human rights concerns.

According to UK officials, Starmer pushed for a “more sophisticated” relationship with China while also raising issues including the detention of British citizen Jimmy Lai, highlighting the tension between expanding global ties and ongoing concerns over human rights and justice.