A self-proclaimed fortune-teller and feng shui master has been charged with orchestrating a sophisticated $70m money-laundering syndicate in Sydney. Anya Phan, 53, and her 25-year-old daughter, Thi Ta, were arrested at Dover Heights on Wednesday morning.
Police allege Phan exploited vulnerable clients within the Vietnamese community by persuading them to take out loans based on her prediction that a 'billionaire' would enter their future. She then took a share of the loans, pocketing at least $150,000 per victim.
Investigators seized financial documents, mobile phones, electronics, luxury handbags, a 40-gram gold bar worth $10,000, and $6,600 in casino chips. An additional $15m in assets was frozen by the NSW Crime Commission.
Detective Superintendent Gordon Arbinja said Phan had preyed on people in financial hardship, convincing them to become money mules. He noted she arrived in Australia in 2001, became a citizen, and had not worked since, yet received disability support payments for over 20 years while being a VIP casino customer.
Phan was charged with 39 offences, including directing a criminal group and dishonestly obtaining financial advantage. She was refused bail and is due to appear in court in January. Her daughter was charged with two counts of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage and granted conditional bail.
The fraud emerged from an investigation into an automotive financing syndicate that used stolen personal information to apply for loans for non-existent 'ghost cars'. Police have arrested about half of the syndicate's members and are targeting professional facilitators, including lawyers, accountants, and property developers.
