CCIB arrests Ukrainian woman in Phuket over US$340m Ponzi scheme extradition case

Thailand’s Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) has arrested a Ukrainian woman wanted for extradition after allegedly fleeing a major Ponzi/pyramid scheme fraud case in the United States and hiding in a condominium in central Phuket, police said at a press conference on Thursday.

The suspect, a Ukrainian national, is accused of conspiring to commit electronic fraud (wire fraud) in the form of a Ponzi/pyramid scheme, an offence under the United States Code. Authorities said the alleged wrongdoing caused losses of more than US$340 million, or about THB 10.617 billion.

CCIB officers and local police executed a court-issued search warrant at a condominium in Chalong subdistrict, Mueang Phuket district. The search led to the suspect’s arrest and the seizure of multiple items, including mobile phones, computer equipment, a laptop, an iPad, and several important documents.

The suspect has denied all charges and said she will give testimony in court.

Police then escorted her to meet a prosecutor at the International Affairs Department, Office of the Attorney General, with US security and law-enforcement agencies—including the FBI, HSI and the USSS—observing. Authorities said the process is being handled through the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) framework, before proceeding with the formal extradition request under the law.