Ex-minister Vorapak named in US sanctions push

US lawmakers press for action against Benjamin Mauerberger and scam-gang laundering network

PUBLISHED : 16 Sep 2026 at 15:46

Former deputy finance minister Vorapak Tanyawong is among 26 people and two companies targeted by US lawmakers for sanctions against figures linked to Southeast Asian financial scam gangs.

The list is headed by Benjamin Mauerberger, a South African businessman and former resident of Thailand who is alleged to have played a central role in laundering billions of dollars in profits from scam operations based mainly in Cambodia.

Thai courts have issued arrest warrants for fraud and money laundering against Mauerberger, who left Thailand last year and is now believed to be in Dubai.

The new push for sanctions in Washington was reported by Whale Hunting, the investigative journalism site that has been investigating the Mauerberger network for years.

It cites a letter sent on Sept 15 to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent by the chairmen of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Select Committee on China.

Signed by key House Republicans, the letter signals a major push to crack down further on overseas cyber-fraud compounds that siphon billions of dollars from American victims each year.

Mr Vorapak resigned as deputy finance minister last October after reports linked him to a series of transactions to acquire majority control of the SET-listed brokerage and investment bank firm Finansia X. 

Mr Vorapak has denied the allegations and filed a criminal defamation lawsuit in Thailand against Tom Wright, one of the founders of Whale Hunting.