Philippine Mayor Turned Human Trafficker Sentenced to Life in Prison
A Chinese national who impersonated a Filipino and rose through local politics has been sentenced to life in prison for his role in operating a massive human trafficking ring while serving as mayor of a town north of Manila.
Alice Guo, 35, who was found guilty of overseeing the operation of a sprawling online gambling centre that forced hundreds of people to run scams or risk torture, will spend the rest of her life behind bars. The complex, which included luxury villas and a large swimming pool, was raided in March after a Vietnamese worker escaped and contacted authorities.
The site, which brought together Filipinos, Chinese, Vietnamese, Malaysians, Taiwanese, Indonesians, and Rwandans, had over 700 victims at its peak. Documents allegedly linked Guo to the operation, with prosecutors claiming he was president of the company that owned the compound.
Guo's sentence has been hailed as a victory for justice by state prosecutor Olivia Torrevillas, who described the ruling as "favourable" and praised the court for delivering it just over a year after the case began. However, the Chinese embassy declined to comment on Guo's fate.
The Philippine Anti-Organised Crime Commission has long been critical of the government regulator that issued operating licences to these centres, which have flourished in the country under various administrations. The centres are estimated to have conned thousands of victims out of up to $37 billion in 2023 alone, according to a UN report.
The Guo case comes as part of a broader crackdown on human trafficking in the Philippines, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr announcing a ban on offshore gambling operations amid public outcry over the scandal.
A Chinese national who impersonated a Filipino and rose through local politics has been sentenced to life in prison for his role in operating a massive human trafficking ring while serving as mayor of a town north of Manila.
Alice Guo, 35, who was found guilty of overseeing the operation of a sprawling online gambling centre that forced hundreds of people to run scams or risk torture, will spend the rest of her life behind bars. The complex, which included luxury villas and a large swimming pool, was raided in March after a Vietnamese worker escaped and contacted authorities.
The site, which brought together Filipinos, Chinese, Vietnamese, Malaysians, Taiwanese, Indonesians, and Rwandans, had over 700 victims at its peak. Documents allegedly linked Guo to the operation, with prosecutors claiming he was president of the company that owned the compound.
Guo's sentence has been hailed as a victory for justice by state prosecutor Olivia Torrevillas, who described the ruling as "favourable" and praised the court for delivering it just over a year after the case began. However, the Chinese embassy declined to comment on Guo's fate.
The Philippine Anti-Organised Crime Commission has long been critical of the government regulator that issued operating licences to these centres, which have flourished in the country under various administrations. The centres are estimated to have conned thousands of victims out of up to $37 billion in 2023 alone, according to a UN report.
The Guo case comes as part of a broader crackdown on human trafficking in the Philippines, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr announcing a ban on offshore gambling operations amid public outcry over the scandal.
just saw this and I'm shook. Life sentence is the bare minimum for someone who ruined so many lives like that 
. It's good to see justice being served at last, but 37 billion dollars lost to these scams? That's just staggering 
. We need real reforms here, not just token arrests like Guo 
. The people of the Philippines deserve better than to be exploited by greedy operators like her 
.
this sentence is so long it feels like it should be split into two articles but still glad to see justice served finally after all these years and a life sentence sounds pretty harsh even for someone as ruthless as Guo, hope she doesn't get any special treatment behind bars 
.
and i mean 700+ victims is just insane what happened to that vietnamese worker who escaped and contacted authorities, they might've saved so many lives 
