Cui Lijie
Cui Lijie (Chinese: 崔丽杰; born c. 1959) is a Chinese billionaire businesswoman, Hong Kong citizen, and majority owner of Imperial Pacific.[1][2]
Cui Lijie | |
---|---|
Born | c. 1959 Harbin, Heilongjiang, China |
Citizenship | Hong Kong |
Occupation | Businesswoman |
Net worth | $1.1 billion (April 2019)[1] |
Board member of | Imperial Pacific |
Children | 1 |
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
- "Cui Lijie". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2019-04-08. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
- 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.
- "Cui Ljie". blacktiemagazine.com. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
- "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.
- 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.
- "First Natural Foods to buy Hengsheng for HK$400 Mln". Asia Gaming Brief. 5 December 2013. Archived from the original on June 3, 2016.
- Cohen, Muhammad (January 31, 2017). "Saipan: Trouble in paradise". Inside Asian Gaming. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
- "Imperial Pacific International Holdings Limited: 2019 Annual Report" (PDF). Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
- Erediano, Emmanuel T. (June 6, 2020). "Hong Kong billionaire showcases Saipan casino suites". The Guam Daily Post. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- "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.
- 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.
- Aguon, Mindy (November 8, 2019). "FBI raids Saipan governor's office, casino operator". The Guam Daily Post. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
- Aguon, Mindy (November 14, 2019). "Feds seek evidence of wire fraud, money laundering investigation in CNMI". The Guam Daily Post. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
- Encinares, Erwin (November 15, 2019). "Grand jury summons out". Saipan Tribune. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
- 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.
- Erediano, Emmanuel T. (June 5, 2020). "Casino commission seeks suspension of IPI license over unpaid community chest fund". Marianas Variety. Retrieved July 3, 2020.