ICE Detains Billionaire Casino Financier on Remote Island
ICE detained Chinese businesswoman Cui Lijie, a former casino shareholder, in the Northern Mariana Islands for alleged immigration violations.Summary
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained Chinese businesswoman and casino financier Cui Lijie on January 13th in the Northern Mariana Islands, an unincorporated American territory in the western Pacific Ocean, due to alleged immigration violations. Lijie, formerly the majority shareholder of Imperial Pacific International – a Chinese investment holding company – had a net worth of $1.1 billion as of 2018, according to Forbes. Imperial Pacific International operated the Imperial Pacific Palace casino on Saipan, which faced numerous controversies, including safety violations during construction and the illegal employment of Chinese workers on tourist visas. The casino was shut down by the U.S. government in 2020 and subsequently filed for bankruptcy, with Team King Investment later acquiring the property. Lijie is currently being held at the island’s Department of Corrections, as reported by Marianas Variety, but ICE has not released further details regarding her detainment.
(Source：The Daily Beast)