A self-proclaimed fortune-teller and feng shui master, Anya Phan, 53, has been charged with orchestrating a $70 million money-laundering syndicate in Sydney. Police arrested Phan and her 25-year-old daughter, Thi Ta, at a home in Dover Heights on Wednesday.
Police allege Phan exploited vulnerable clients within the Vietnamese community by convincing them to take out loans based on her prediction that a 'billionaire' would enter their future. She then took a share of the loans, with each victim allegedly paying her at least $150,000. The scheme involved personal, business, and home loan fraud against multiple financial institutions.
Detective Superintendent Gordon Arbinja said Phan preyed on people in financial hardship, convincing them to become mules for the syndicate. He noted that Phan arrived in Australia in 2001, became a citizen, and had not worked since, yet received disability support payments for over 20 years while living in a Dover Heights property with monthly repayments of $56,000.
Police allege Phan laundered over $520,000 in a two-month period at a Sydney casino, including $45,000 in just three hours. She also convinced her daughter to purchase a $5.3 million unit at Rose Bay. Assets worth $15 million have been frozen by the NSW Crime Commission.
Phan faces 39 charges, including directing a criminal group and dishonestly obtaining financial advantage. She was refused bail and is due in court on 15 January. Her daughter was charged with two counts of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage and granted conditional bail.
The fraud came to light during investigations into an automotive financing syndicate, which revealed the use of stolen personal information to apply for loans for non-existent 'ghost cars'. Police have arrested 17 people so far and are pursuing further arrests, including lawyers, accountants, and property developers linked to the syndicate.
