Cui Lijie

Cui Lijie
Bornc. 1959 (age 66–67)
Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
CitizenshipHong Kong
OccupationBusinesswoman
Board member of
Imperial Pacific
Children1

Cui Lijie (Chinese: 崔丽杰; pinyin: Cuī Lìjié; born c. 1959) is a Chinese billionaire businesswoman, Hong Kong citizen, and majority owner of Imperial Pacific. Lijie resides in Saipan.

Background

Originally from Harbin, Heilongjiang, China, she is a former barefoot doctor who worked in the countryside. In 1988, she invested in an auto parts and equipment factory serving a military school in Harbin. She later invested in pawnshop lending and real estate.

Career

She and her son Ji Xiaobo (Chinese: 纪晓波) became involved in the Macau casino junket business in 2009 through a company called Heng Sheng. In September 2013, Cui Lijie's company Inventive Star Limited acquired a publicly listed Hong Kong company called First Natural Foods after its founder had been accused of embezzlement. In December 2013, First Natural Foods acquired Heng Sheng for HK$400 million. In 2014, First Natural Foods was renamed Imperial Pacific.

Cui Lijie remains the majority beneficial owner of Imperial Pacific, which owns an exclusive casino license for Saipan and a $600 million beachfront hotel. Her son has been described as the "mastermind" of Imperial Pacific's casino in Saipan.

On January 13, 2026, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Cui Lijie for alleged violations of immigration law.

Casino controversies

In 2017, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) raided the construction site of Imperial Pacific's casino in Saipan over a "federal violation of the workplace visa system" following the death of a construction worker in March 2017. Construction workers from a subsidiary of state-owned China Metallurgical Group Corporation were unlawfully employed on the island to build the casino. In April 2017, Bloomberg News reported that the United States Department of Justice was investigating Imperial Pacific for money laundering. The FBI executed search warrants on Imperial Pacific's offices in Saipan again in March 2018.

In April 2019, the United States Department of Labor secured a $3.3 million judgment against Imperial Pacific for wage and overtime violations. In September 2019, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit against Imperial Pacific for sexual harassment and discrimination.

In November 2019, the FBI raided the offices of Imperial Pacific for evidence of money laundering and wire fraud, and a federal grand jury subpoenaed the company regarding a corruption probe involving links with Northern Mariana Islands governor Ralph Torres.

In March 2020, Imperial Pacific disclosed that the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network was probing it for possible violations of the Bank Secrecy Act. In June 2020, the Commonwealth Casino Commission of the Northern Mariana Islands announced that it was seeking to suspend Imperial Pacific's casino license for non-payment of money owed to a community benefit fund.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Cui Lijie". Forbes. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Cohen, Muhammad (24 February 2017). "One Woman's Journey From 'Barefoot Doctor' To Casino Billionaire". Forbes. Archived from the original on 29 April 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  3. ↑ Mahtani, Shibani (31 December 2025). "A tiny U.S. territory in the Pacific doubles down on a giant Chinese casino". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2 January 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  4. ↑ "Cui Ljie". blacktiemagazine.com. Archived from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Ji Xiaobo family: how the Saipan casino tycoon was made". Phoenix Television (in Chinese). 16 May 2018. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  6. ↑ Li, Kanis (25 April 2013). "SFC takes First Natural Foods founder to court over HK$84m embezzlement claim". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 17 November 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  7. ↑ "First Natural Foods to buy Hengsheng for HK$400 Mln". Asia Gaming Brief. 5 December 2013. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016.
  8. 1 2 Cohen, Muhammad (31 January 2017). "Saipan: Trouble in paradise". Inside Asian Gaming. Archived from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  9. ↑ "Imperial Pacific International Holdings Limited: 2019 Annual Report" (PDF). Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  10. ↑ Erediano, Emmanuel T. (6 June 2020). "Hong Kong billionaire showcases Saipan casino suites". The Guam Daily Post. Archived from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  11. ↑ Cohen, Muhammad (7 February 2018). "One Of Hong Kong's Richest Women, Cui Lijie Is Losing Her Bet On Saipan Casino". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2 April 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  12. ↑ Cohen, Muhammad (1 March 2017). "Macau Comes To America On Pacific Island Saipan". Forbes. Archived from the original on 23 April 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  13. ↑ Manabat, Bryan (13 January 2026). "ICE arrests IPI's Lijie Cui". Marianas Variety. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
  14. ↑ McCartney, Micah. "ICE arrests Chinese billionaire owner of failed casino on US island". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 16 January 2026. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  15. ↑ Campbell, Matthew (30 March 2017). "FBI Visits Office of Saipan Casino Run by Trump Protege". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  16. ↑ Campbell, Matthew; Farrell, Greg (1 April 2017). "FBI Makes Arrest Related to Saipan Casino Construction". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 3 April 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  17. ↑ Campbell, Matthew (15 February 2018). "A Chinese Casino Has Conquered a Piece of America". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved 3 July 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  18. 1 2 Campbell, Matthew; Wei, Daniela (10 April 2017). "Human Smuggling, Money Laundering Probes Surround Saipan Casino". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  19. ↑ Campbell, Matthew; Ha, K Oanh (14 March 2018). "Saipan Casino Operator Raided by U.S. Agents". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 3 July 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  20. ↑ "USDOL secures $3.3M judgment against casino developer". The Guam Daily Post. 27 April 2019. Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  21. ↑ De La Torre, Ferdie (25 September 2019). "EEOC files suit vs IPI for sexual harassment, sex discrimination". Saipan Tribune. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  22. ↑ Aguon, Mindy (8 November 2019). "FBI raids Saipan governor's office, casino operator". The Guam Daily Post. Archived from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  23. ↑ Aguon, Mindy (14 November 2019). "Feds seek evidence of wire fraud, money laundering investigation in CNMI". The Guam Daily Post. Archived from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  24. ↑ Encinares, Erwin (15 November 2019). "Grand jury summons out". Saipan Tribune. Archived from the original on 5 December 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  25. ↑ De La Torre, Ferdie (29 May 2020). "FinCEN sees apparent violations at casino". Saipan Tribune. Archived from the original on 26 June 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  26. ↑ Erediano, Emmanuel T. (5 June 2020). "Casino commission seeks suspension of IPI license over unpaid community chest fund". Marianas Variety. Archived from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.