BI nabbed Korean ‘gambling lord,’ Western sex offenders

MANILA, Philippines — Three foreigners, including suspected sex offenders and a “gambling lord,” were nabbed in separate operations by the Bureau of Immigration (BI). 

Korean Choi Jonguk, 42, was arrested at a popular gaming hub in Barangay Tambo, Parañaque on Oct. 12, according to a BI statement issued yesterday.

Choi was charged for “operating an illegal gambling website that catered to Korean customers who bet on the results of sports competitions.”

He has been on the BI’s wanted list since 2019. 

Meanwhile, personnel from the agency’s fugitive search unit caught Briton Ryan Ashley, 50, and American Joseph John Graham, 76, in separate operations on Oct. 16.

Ashley was collared while trying to extend his tourist visa at the BI’s satellite office at a mall in Taguig City, while Graham was caught at the Clark International Airport.

Ashley has been convicted in the United Kingdom of multiple sexual offenses, including indecent assault on minors, in 1994 and 2002, according to the BI. 

On the other hand, Graham – who apparently was a “frequent traveler to the Philippines” – faces 55 counts of child pornography in a court in Florida after he was found to be capturing using his phone nude photos of Filipino children as young as three years old.