Cui Lijie

Cui Lijie (Chinese: 崔丽杰; pinyin: Cuī Lìjié; born c. 1959) is a Chinese billionaire businesswoman, Hong Kong citizen, and majority owner of Imperial Pacific.[1][2]

In this Chinese name, the family name is Cui.
Cui Lijie
Bornc. 1959
Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
CitizenshipHong Kong
OccupationBusinesswoman
Net worth$1.1 billion (April 2019)[1]
Board member ofImperial Pacific
Children1

Background

Originally from Harbin, Heilongjiang, China, she is a former barefoot doctor who worked in the countryside.[2] In 1988, she invested in an auto parts and equipment factory serving a military school in Harbin.[3][2] She later invested in pawnshop lending and real estate.[4]

Career

She and her son Ji Xiaobo (纪晓波) became involved in the Macau casino junket business in 2009 through a company called Heng Sheng.[4] In September 2013, Cui Lijie's company Inventive Star Limited acquired a publicly-listed Hong Kong company called First Natural Foods after its founder had been accused of embezzlement.[4][5] In December 2013, First Natural Foods acquired Heng Sheng for HK$400 million.[6] In 2014, First Natural Foods was renamed Imperial Pacific.[4][7]

Cui Lijie remains the majority beneficial owner of Imperial Pacific, which owns an exclusive casino license for Saipan and a $600 million beachfront hotel.[1][8][9] Her son has been described as the "mastermind" of Imperial Pacific's casino in Saipan.[10][7][11]

Casino controversies

In 2017, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) raided the construction site of Imperial Pacific's casino in Saipan over a "federal violation of the workplace visa system" following the death of a construction worker in March 2017.[12][13][14] Construction workers from a subsidiary of state-owned China Metallurgical Group Corporation were unlawfully employed on the island to build the casino.[15] In April 2017, Bloomberg News reported that the United States Department of Justice was investigating Imperial Pacific for money laundering.[15] The FBI executed search warrants on Imperial Pacific's offices in Saipan again in March 2018.[16]

In April 2019, the United States Department of Labor secured a $3.3 million judgment against Imperial Pacific for wage and overtime violations.[17] In September 2019, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit against Imperial Pacific for sexual harassment and discrimination.[18]

In November 2019, the FBI raided the offices of Imperial Pacific for evidence of money laundering and wire fraud, and a federal grand jury subpoenaed the company regarding a corruption probe involving links with Northern Mariana Islands governor Ralph Torres.[19][20][21]

In March 2020, Imperial Pacific disclosed that the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network was probing it for possible violations of the Bank Secrecy Act.[22] In June 2020, the Commonwealth Casino Commission of the Northern Mariana Islands announced that it was seeking to suspend Imperial Pacific's casino license for non-payment of money owed to a community benefit fund.[23]

See also

References
  1. "Cui Lijie". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2019-04-08. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  2. Cohen, Muhammad (February 24, 2017). "One Woman's Journey From 'Barefoot Doctor' To Casino Billionaire". Forbes. Archived from the original on April 29, 2017. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  3. "Cui Ljie". blacktiemagazine.com. Archived from the original on 2020-08-23. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
  4. "Ji Xiaobo family: how the Saipan casino tycoon was made". Phoenix Television (in Chinese). 2018-05-16. Archived from the original on 2019-04-08. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  5. Li, Kanis (April 25, 2013). "SFC takes First Natural Foods founder to court over HK$84m embezzlement claim". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on November 17, 2018. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  6. "First Natural Foods to buy Hengsheng for HK$400 Mln". Asia Gaming Brief. 5 December 2013. Archived from the original on June 3, 2016.
  7. Cohen, Muhammad (January 31, 2017). "Saipan: Trouble in paradise". Inside Asian Gaming. Archived from the original on August 23, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  8. "Imperial Pacific International Holdings Limited: 2019 Annual Report" (PDF). Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 23, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  9. Erediano, Emmanuel T. (June 6, 2020). "Hong Kong billionaire showcases Saipan casino suites". The Guam Daily Post. Archived from the original on 2020-08-23. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  10. Cohen, Muhammad (February 7, 2018). "One Of Hong Kong's Richest Women, Cui Lijie Is Losing Her Bet On Saipan Casino". Forbes. Archived from the original on April 2, 2020. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  11. Cohen, Muhammad (March 1, 2017). "Macau Comes To America On Pacific Island Saipan". Forbes. Archived from the original on April 23, 2019. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  12. Campbell, Matthew (March 30, 2017). "FBI Visits Office of Saipan Casino Run by Trump Protege". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  13. Campbell, Matthew; Farrell, Greg (April 1, 2017). "FBI Makes Arrest Related to Saipan Casino Construction". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on April 3, 2017. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  14. Campbell, Matthew (February 15, 2018). "A Chinese Casino Has Conquered a Piece of America". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on February 16, 2018. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  15. Campbell, Matthew; Wei, Daniela (April 10, 2017). "Human Smuggling, Money Laundering Probes Surround Saipan Casino". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on October 8, 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  16. Campbell, Matthew; Ha, K Oanh (March 14, 2018). "Saipan Casino Operator Raided by U.S. Agents". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on March 15, 2018. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  17. "USDOL secures $3.3M judgment against casino developer". The Guam Daily Post. April 27, 2019. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  18. De La Torre, Ferdie (September 25, 2019). "EEOC files suit vs IPI for sexual harassment, sex discrimination". Saipan Tribune. Archived from the original on December 11, 2019. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  19. Aguon, Mindy (November 8, 2019). "FBI raids Saipan governor's office, casino operator". The Guam Daily Post. Archived from the original on August 23, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  20. Aguon, Mindy (November 14, 2019). "Feds seek evidence of wire fraud, money laundering investigation in CNMI". The Guam Daily Post. Archived from the original on August 23, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  21. Encinares, Erwin (November 15, 2019). "Grand jury summons out". Saipan Tribune. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  22. De La Torre, Ferdie (May 29, 2020). "FinCEN sees apparent violations at casino". Saipan Tribune. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  23. Erediano, Emmanuel T. (June 5, 2020). "Casino commission seeks suspension of IPI license over unpaid community chest fund". Marianas Variety. Archived from the original on August 23, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
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