FBI Adds Illegal Bingo Operator to Most Wanted List After $10.7 Million Charity Fraud
The FBI has added a man accused of running an illegal bingo operation that generated $34 million to its most wanted list. Michael Lizaso Marasigan had promised to contribute the proceeds to the Shrine’s Hospital for Children in Hawaii. Instead, he laundered the money and “diverted” about $10.7 million for himself and other co-conspirators, according to prosecutors.
In May 2025, a jury found the U.S.-Philippines dual citizen guilty on a series of charges. These included operating an illegal gambling business, money laundering, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
He requested that the court allow him to travel to the Philippines for medical treatment. He had done so three other times during the case, but not after the verdict. Marasigan failed to return in June 2025, in violation of the terms of his pretrial release. He claimed that he missed a flight and would get the one the following day.
However, it was his last correspondence with his probation officer.
A Scheme That Netted Almost $11 Million
The two other defendants in the case were husband and wife Christine Chan and Jose Arthur “Art” Chan Jr. Federal prosecutors initially indicted them in May 2023.
An IRS special agent testified that the gross proceeds from the Hafa Adai Bingo scheme totaled at least $34 million over six years. After payouts and operating costs, the scheme generated $10.9 million.
During the spring 2025 trial, the jury deliberated for five days before convicting each defendant on all counts.
The charges stem from their roles in the Guam Shrine Club, which offered bingo games to allegedly fund travel for children to Shriners Hospital in Hawaii. The court found sufficient evidence that the defendants misled players about where the proceeds would go.
Failed Attempts to Allege Juror Misconduct
The defendants argued that the government changed its theory at trial and requested a new trial. However, the court denied the motion.
The defendants also cited their claim of juror misconduct after the jurors gave a thank-you card to the court staff and the judge.
Defendants claimed that the card showed that the jurors had “formed an opinion about the case before reaching the verdict” based on the use of the term “eternity” in relation to the trial’s length. The court deemed the card to be innocuous and not prejudicial.
At a Nov. 3, 2025, hearing, the U.S. government asked the District Court of Guam to order the defendants to forfeit approximately $7 million. This included almost $5.6 million for Marasigan, $871,500 for Christine Chan, and $339,013 for Art Chan. Sentencing has not yet taken place.
For now, Marasigan remains at large, with federal authorities seeking his return. The FBI’s decision to place him on its most wanted list underscores the seriousness of the charges and the scale of the alleged misuse of funds intended for charity.
Other High-Profile Gambling-Related Fugitives
While cases like Marasigan’s are uncommon, he is not the only defendant tied to large-scale gambling or gambling-adjacent schemes who has fled prosecution or remained at large.
One of the most prominent examples is Ruja Ignatova, known as the “Cryptoqueen.” Ignatova disappeared in 2017 after the U.S. charged her with orchestrating the OneCoin cryptocurrency fraud.
While not a gambling operation itself, U.S. authorities have repeatedly likened OneCoin to illegal betting and wagering enterprises. Ignatova was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list in 2022.
In Asia, Cheung Chi Tai, a former Macau junket executive, became a fugitive after being charged in mainland China with operating illegal cross-border gambling operations. Chi Tai laundered about HKD 1.8 billion ($260 million) in gambling proceeds.
Another widely known case is Anatoly Tokhtakhounov, a Russian organized-crime figure accused by U.S. prosecutors of running illegal gambling and money-laundering operations tied to the Russian mob.
Tokhtakhounov has long remained outside U.S. custody and was previously listed among the FBI’s most-wanted organized crime figures.
In the online betting sector, several defendants tied to the BetOnSports offshore sportsbook prosecution remained outside U.S. jurisdiction for years. While authorities arrested company founder David Carruthers, other executives avoided extradition by fleeing to countries that did not recognize U.S. gambling offenses.
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