Tokyo police arrest alleged Prince Group executive in fraud-linked filings case

Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrested Hu Xiaowei, also known as Hu Shi and Chen Xiao’er, on June 22 on suspicion of filing a fraudulent residency change-of-address form, with two Chinese nationals also arrested for allegedly submitting paperwork on his behalf. Police said the Hu Shi in custody is the same person identified as Chen Xiao’er on the U.S. Treasury Department’s October 2025 sanctions list and have opened a broader investigation into Prince Group, which authorities in several jurisdictions have linked to forced-labor pig-butchering compounds and theft of more than $15 billion in Bitcoin. The case adds to a widening international crackdown on the Cambodia-linked network. The U.S. Treasury sanctioned 146 Prince Group-linked entities in October 2025, while the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed an indictment against founder Chen Zhi in what it described as the largest Bitcoin forfeiture action in its history, totaling 127,271 BTC valued at about $15 billion. The UK sanctioned Hu Xiaowei by name in March 2026, describing him as a long-term associate of Chen Zhi who provided financial, technical and logistical support. Investigative reporting previously linked Hu to multiple identities, Prince Group companies in Japan, roughly $45 million in UK property, a $15 million villa in Hong Kong held under a Saint Kitts and Nevis passport, and aircraft leasing businesses under the Cloud Nine banner. Japanese authorities had reportedly tracked him across luxury hotels in Osaka before the arrest, and police said they are now working to determine his role within the organization.