Thailand Seizes $300M in Assets Connected to Benjamin Mauerberger, But Where is He?

Welcome to Whale Hunting, where we follow the money from Southeast Asian scam centers to Manhattan penthouses, exposing the criminal networks that cost Americans billions each year.

For weeks, we've been reporting on how South African money launderer Benjamin Mauerberger sits at the center of a sprawling Chinese-Cambodian criminal scam network.

We've shown how Mauerberger laundered hundreds of millions of dollars, paying huge bribes to Thai politicians and bureaucrats, undermining the country's democracy – and fueling one of the world's fastest-growing crimes.

Now, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's government has seized $300 million in assets, including yachts, luxury cars, and Thai equities. In a statement today, police put Mauerberger squarely at the centre of a criminal network – the first time Thailand's government has acknowledged this.

Many questions still remain. Police said they made 29 arrests from 42 warrants but declined to confirm whether Mauerberger is among those sought. While police mentioned his political protection in Cambodia, there was (predictably) nothing about his high-level Thai connections.

Could his return from Dubai to face justice be too problematic for those in Thailand's government who enjoyed his favors? Could he end up like Jho Low – in perpetual exile?

Read the full translated Thai police news release – and a gallery of seized assets – after the break.

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