HK Police ‘elevates’ case vs Ester Ylagan

By Daisy CL Mandap

Ester P. Ylagan

The investigation into fraud and money laundering allegations against former employment agency owner  Ester P. Ylagan is now with Hong Kong Police's Regional Crime Unit.

This was revealed by police investigators at the Central Harbourfront station who conducted two full-day interviews on Mar. 11 and 18 with about  40 Filipina domestic workers who had complained against Ylagan.

"We have elevated the case to the Regional Crime Unit," said an investigator, indicating some progress in the two-year-old case.

The statement was confirmed by Edwina Antonio, case officer of the Mission for Migrant Workers, which is helping the OFWs pursue their claim against Ylagan.

"The police have temporarily stopped taking statements. They will inform us when they plan to resume this. The statement taking will then be transferred to the Admiralty police station," said Antonio.

About 100 OFWs first sought police help in July 2016 after Ylagan disappeared with some $2 million in fees she allegedly collected from them for non-existent jobs in Canada and Britain.

However, no action was taken in their case then because Ylagan beat them to the police with her own complaint about having been duped into transferring some $8 million to an unknown business partner in Burkina Faso.

Ylagan said in her complaint that a bigger part of the money had come from her own funds.

However, documents recently submitted to the police by a concerned group of investigators appeared to indicate Ylagan was probably involved in a serious case of money laundering.

The money trail apparently showed Ylagan had transferred millions of dollars through numerous remittances to countries as far apart as Nigeria. Turkey and Malaysia.

She was reportedly helped in transferring the money by close family members and her former staff at Emry's Service Staff Employment Agency.

The allegations are backed up by remittance slips shown to The SUN by the team of investigators led by lawyers.

However, where the money came from - apart from the fees paid by the job applicants - and where it went remains a mystery.

Meanwhile, investigators in Manila have also closed in on Ylagan, who also faces charges from family members of the OFW complainants for whom money was paid for the bogus jobs.

Investigators from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) have filed charges of syndicated illegal recruitment against her, a non-bailable offense for which the maximum penalty is life imprisonment.

Ylagan returned to Hong Kong in December last year after an absence of more than a year to file a case for deception against suspended barrister, Ody Lai, who she claimed had fraudulently acquired her Aberdeen flat worth $6.5 million at current rates.

Emry’s owner to stand trial next year in $5.7 million laundering case

 

Ylagan outside the District Court in earlier hearing (File)

After seven years of investigation and court hearings, 70-year-old former employment agency owner Ester Ylagan will be tried at the District Court between January and February next year, on charges of laundering a total of $5.7 million over a seven-month period in 2016.

The 15-day trial from January 15 to February 2, 2024 was set after a pre-trial hearing held in chambers today at the District Court.

Ylagan pleaded not guilty to all four charges of money laundering nearly a year ago, or on Sept. 20, 2022.

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The trial date was originally set for January this year but Ylagan’s counsel had asked for more time to review the documents in the case which include 4,000 depositions of 43 witnesses, including 25 listed as victims.

Ylagan’s bail of $40,000 was renewed until the trial, set before Deputy District Court Judge Katherine Lo.

According to the charge sheet read out to Ylagan in court on August 11 last year, the alleged offences took place between Jan 29 to Jul 8, 2016, and involved a series of transactions, all in violation of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance.

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In the first charge, Ylagan is accused of “dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence” on Jan 29 and May 5, 2016, in the sum of HK$2,633,181.52 and US$44,658 (HK$347,439).

The total sum of HK$2,980,620 was dealt with in cash.

The second count allegedly happened between May 12 to 23, 2016, during which the total sum of USD300,00 (HK2,334,000) was moved by Ylagan from an account with Standard Chartered Bank.

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In the third count, Ylagan is accused with dealing with money believed to be proceeds from a crime, amounting to US$10,055 (HK$78,227) between May 25 and 26, 2016.

The last charge accuses Ylagan of handling a total amount of US$50,000 (HK$389,000), knowing it to be proceeds of a crime, on Jul 8, 2016.

The last two transactions were made using an account Ylagan held at HSBC.

OFWs line up to snap overseas jobs offered by Ylagan in 2016 (File)

The dates of the alleged offenses coincided with a job recruitment to Canada and the United Kingdom which Ylagan conducted at Emry’s office in WorldWide Plaza. At the time, Emry’s was the biggest recruitment firm for Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong.

Relying on Emry’s solid reputation in the business, about 200 Filipino migrant workers said they were enticed to apply for the jobs advertised by Ylagan, purportedly in the United Kingdom and Canada, for which each applicant was charged $10,000 or $15,000.

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The jobs all turned out to be bogus, and Ylagan jumped the gun on the applicants by going to the police and complaining about an online business partner she named as William Clinton Evans who allegedly duped her of $4.19 million before disappearing.

Ylagan also told police in a statement that it was Evans, whom she met only online, who offered to place her applicants in the UK or Canada. But after signing up about 400 applicants, she said she stopped because Evans wanted her to double the number.

Her unseen partner then stopped communicating with her, and Ylagan fled to the Philippines. She returned to Hong Kong in June 2018 and was promptly arrested.

Lawyers acting for the complainants at the time claimed they uncovered documents showing Ylagan and several other people close to her had sent a total of around $10 million to several countries as far apart as Malaysia and Burkina Faso.

The documents were turned over to the police, along with the names of the others involved in the apparent money laundering scam, but only Ylagan was arrested and charged.

Of the more than 200 Filipino applicants who sought police help, about 150 have filed claims to recover their money from Ylagan.

Some of the claims were upheld at the Small Claims Tribunal in Ylagan’s absence while the rest were moved to the District Court where they remain undecided.

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Emry’s owner charged with laundering $5.7 million

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

Ylagan leaves court with a trolley loaded with case files

After an investigation that lasted six years, disgraced employment agency owner Ester Ylagan was back in court earlier today, Tuesday, to face four counts of laundering a total of $5.7 million over a seven-month period in 2016.

Eastern Court magistrate Ada Yim ordered the transfer of the case to the District Court for plea-taking on September 20. Until then, Ylagan’s bail of $40,000 has been extended on the same terms.

According to the charge sheet read out to the defendant in court, the alleged offences took place between Jan 29 to Jul 8, 2016, and involved a series of transactions, all in violation of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance.

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In the first charge, Ylagan is accused of “dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence” on Jan 29 and May 5, 2016, in the sum of HK$2,633,181.52 and US$44,658 (HK$347,439).

The total sum of HK$2,980,620 was dealt with in cash.

The second count allegedly happened between May 12 to 23, 2016, during which the total sum of USD300,00 (HK2,334,000) was moved by Ylagan from an account with Standard Chartered Bank.

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In the third count, Ylagan is accused with dealing with money believed to be proceeds from a crime, amounting to US$10,055 (HK$78,227) between May 25 and 26, 2016.

The last charge accuses Ylagan of handling a total amount of US$50,000 (HK$389,000), knowing it to be proceeds of a crime, on Jul 8, 2016.

The last two transactions were made using an account Ylagan held at HSBC.

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It’s understood Ylagan is seeking Legal Aid so she can contest all the charges when she appears in District Court next month.

Hundreds of Filipinos living in HK and Macau applied for the bogus jobs offered by Ylagan (2016 File)

The dates of the alleged offenses coincided with a recruitment drive initiated and run by Ylagan, using the shop leased by Emry’s Service Staff Employment Agency in WorldWide Plaza, which she co-owned with her late husband, Rick.

At the time, Emry’s was the biggest recruitment firm for Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong.

Relying on Emry’s solid reputation in the business, about 200 Filipino migrant workers were enticed to apply for the jobs advertised by Ylagan, purportedly in the United Kingdom and Canada, for which each applicant was charged $10,000 or $15,000.

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The jobs all turned out to be bogus, and Ylagan jumped the gun on the applicants by going to the police and complaining about an online business partner she named as William Clinton Evans who allegedly duped her of $4.19 million before disappearing.

Ylagan also told police in a statement that it was Evans, whom she met only online, who offered to place her applicants in the UK or Canada. But after signing up about 400 applicants, she said she stopped because Evans wanted her to double the number.

Her unseen partner then stopped communicating with her, and Ylagan fled to the Philippines.

Ylagan used to be one of the most prominent Filipino business owners in HK

Lawyers acting for the complainants subsequently reported uncovering documents showing Ylagan and several other people close to her had sent a total of around $10 million to several countries as far apart as Malaysia and Burkina Faso.

The documents were turned over to the police, along with the names of the others involved in the apparent money laundering scam. These appear to have led to the police to file money laundering charges against Ylagan.

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Of the more than 200 Filipinos who sought police help, about 150 have filed claims to recover their money from Ylagan.

Some of the claims were upheld at the Small Claims Tribunal in Ylagan’s absence while the rest were moved to the District Court where they remain undecided.

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Ylagan asks for more time to respond to laundering charges

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

Ylagan angrily asks outside the District Court building why her picture was being taken

Former employment agency owner Ester Ylagan appeared in the District Court for the first time to face four counts of laundering a total of $5.7 million over a seven-month period in 2016.

At the application of Ylagan’s lawyer appointed by the Legal Aid Department, Judge Justin Ko King-sau adjourned the case to Nov 8 for further legal advice. Her bail of $40,000 was extended under the same terms.

Before this, Judge Ko asked Ylagan if she wished to continue being assisted by a Tagalog interpreter in succeeding hearings and she said yes.

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Outside the court building, Ylagan showed displeasure at having her picture taken, and even demanded an explanation. She left after being told that it was not illegal, and that it was in the public interest as she was facing multiple counts of a serious offence.

The case was transferred to the District Court on Aug 30, after Ylagan was read the charges against her at Eastern Court in front of Principal Magistrate Ada Yim.

The four charges against her allegedly took place between Jan 29 to Jul 8, 2016, and involved a series of transactions, all in violation of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance.

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In the first charge, Ylagan is accused of “dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence” on Jan 29 and May 5, 2016, in the sum of HK$2,633,181.52 and US$44,658 (HK$347,439). The total sum of HK$2,980,620 was dealt with in cash.

The second count allegedly happened between May 12 to 23, 2016, during which the total sum of USD300,00 (HK2,334,000) was moved by Ylagan from an account with Standard Chartered Bank.

In the third count, Ylagan is accused with dealing with money believed to be proceeds from a crime, amounting to US$10,055 (HK$78,227) between May 25 and 26, 2016.

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The last charge accuses Ylagan of handling a total amount of US$50,000 (HK$389,000), knowing it to be proceeds of a crime, on Jul 8, 2016.

The last two transactions were made using an account Ylagan held at HSBC.

The dates of the alleged offenses coincided with job recruitments to Britain and Canada which Ylagan had conducted at the WorldWide Plaza office in Central of Emry’s Service Staff Employment Agency, which she co-owned with her late husband, Rick.

At the time, Emry’s was the biggest recruitment firm for Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong.

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Relying on Emry’s solid reputation in the business, hundreds of Filipino migrant workers were enticed to apply for the jobs advertised by Ylagan in a now-defunct Filipino community newspaper, for which each applicant was charged $10,000 or $15,000.

The jobs all turned out to be bogus, but before the applicants could react, Ylagan went to the police to complain against a certain William Clinton Evans who allegedly duped her of $4.19 million.

This was money she had allegedly collected from the job applicants at his instigation, and had sent to him before the man disappeared.

Ylagan is shown counting money paid by an applicant for one of the bogus jobs in this photo from 2016

Ylagan also told police in a statement that it was Evans, whom she had met only online, who offered to place her applicants in the UK or Canada. But after signing up about 400 applicants, she said she stopped because Evans wanted her to double the number.

Her unseen partner then stopped communicating with her, and Ylagan fled to the Philippines.

Lawyers acting for the complainants subsequently reported uncovering documents showing Ylagan and several other people close to her had sent millions of dollars to several countries as far apart as Malaysia and Burkina Faso. This formed the basis of the money laundering charges filed against Ylagan.

In December 2017 Ylagan returned to Hong Kong and in a statement she made to police, said that a friend had advised her to leave, while her legal problems were being sorted out.

But she was dismayed to find later that no legal representation was made on her behalf, despite her having forked out proceeds from her mandatory provident fund to cover the court costs.

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Ylagan sued in Philippines

Ylagan by the Niagara Falls in Canada, where she
allegedly offered inexistent jobs to Filipinos

by The SUN staff

Missing employment agency owner Ester Ylagan has been sued for fraud in the Philippines by four of her alleged victims, while illegal recruitment charges against her are being readied. 

This was according to Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre, who disclosed that seven or eight other recruits of Ylagan have been interviewed by the Philippine Overseas Employment Admininistration, which could charge her with massive illegal recruitment.

Separately, an officer of the Consulate said a list of Ylagan's alleged victims in Hong Kong has been furnished to the Philippines' Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, which looks into human trafficking cases.

Vice Consul Alex Vallespin who heads the Consulate's assistance to nationals section said it would appear that Ylagan was still in the Philippines based on Bureau of Immigration records. 

Ylagan was shown to have entered the country shortly after her apparent scam was uncovered in Hong Kong in June last year. But since there was no arrest warrant or hold departure order against her, she managed to get in and out of the country freely. 

About two weeks ago, Vallespin told The SUN that Labatt Dela Torre sent the ATN a memorandum inquiring about the whereabouts of Ylagan.

Vallespin said ATN replied also in a memo, that as early as August last year, when news of the scam broke out, he had asked IACAT executive director Darlene Pajarito about whether Ylagan was in the Philippines.

“We told her we had information that Ylagan returned to the Philippines and asked (Pajarito) to confirm the report. She confirmed it, and reconfirmed to me again this year, that Ylagan’s last departure from the Philippines was July 10 and last arrival was Aug 4,” Vallespin said.

The immigration bureau in the Philippines is now on the watch for Ylagan just in case she tries to slip out of the country, he said.  

Meanwhile, Labatt dela Torre said the four victims recruited in La Union had filed a single case against Ylagan at the Regional Trial Court in San Fernando City.

He said POEA investigators had sought out the other victims in three regions, including Mindanao, based on information provided by their relatives in Hong Kong.

“POEA is now interviewing the victims,” Dela Torre said. “Basta ibinigay ko ang mga pangalan,” (I just gave their names), he said, adding that the cases are now with POEA's  Anti-Illegal Recruitment Branch for possible prosecution.

Ylagan was accused by about 200 other OFWs based in Hong Kong and Macau of duping them last year with offers of non-existent jobs in Britain and Canada for which they each paid $10,000 and $15,000, respectively.

Ylagan was part owner of Emry's Service Staff Employment Agency, which used to be the biggest recruiter of Filipino domestic workers for Hong Kong. But for the bogus jobs offer, she used Mike’s Secretarial Services Inc., which was listed solely in her name.

Ylagan has snubbed all tribunal and court hearings since Aug 29 last year of the cases filed by victims against her and Mike’s Secretarial after her failure to deliver on the promised jobs in Britain and Canada.

Before she disappeared, she filed a complaint with Hong Kong Police, claiming an unknown business partner in Britain had cheated her of $2.4 million. The case was cited by officers at the Central Police station in rejecting several attempts by Ylagan’s applicants to file a complaint for fraud against her.

The Small Claims Tribunal heard a total of 129 cases then transferred them to the District Court for consolidation. The tribunal heard the last batch of 72 more cases on Aug 28, but these are also expected to be moved to the District Court before the year ends. 

The District Court heard the initial batch of cases on July 7 but neither Ylagan nor her legal representative from the law firm Wong & Co, which she claimed to have engaged to appear for her, failed to show up.

Ylagan also snubbed twice the scheduled hearings of 23 cases of overcharging filed against her and Mike’s Secretarial at the Eastern Court by the Hong Kong Labour Department’s Employment Agency Administration.

Probe of Emry’s, Peya cases drags on after 4-5 years

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Police shutting down Mike's and Emry's offices in World-Wide House (File)

Police investigation of two big cases that reportedly victimized more than 1,000 Filipinos in Hong Kong has dragged on for between four and five years, with no cases being filed against alleged perpetrators.

The first case involves a fake jobs scam allegedly perpetrated in 2016 by Ester P. Ylagan, owner of Emry’s Service Staff Employment Agency, at that time the biggest recruiter of Filipino domestic workers into Hong Kong. 

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At least 400 people have claimed to have lost a total of $10 million after applying for non-existent jobs in Canada and Britain through Mike's Secretarial Services, another employment agency owned by Ylagan.

The second is the one involving the defunct Peya Travel Agency, which was accused by hundreds of mostly Filipino domestic workers of misusing the money they paid for their air tickets, leaving them unable to fly home for Christmas in 2017.

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A spokeswoman said today, Jul 21, that police continue to investigate Ylagan, 66, for “conspiracy to defraud” and “dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence,” or money laundering.

Complainants alleged they had been duped by Ylagan into paying $10,000 each for fake jobs in the UK and $15,000 for similar jobs in Canada. 

 

The officer said Ylagan “was released on police bail and is requested to report back to police in early September.” 

It is not clear why she is not required to report on a monthly basis, as with other suspects who are out on bail.

Edwina Antonio, the case officer at the Mission for Migrant Workers who has helped the complainants pursue the case, reacted with disgust to the police update.

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“Habang tumatagal ang resulta ng kaso laban kay Ester Ylagan, three years na nga, lalong tumatagal ang inhustisya sa mga nabiktima. Nasaan ang hustisya? Tatlong taon na,” Antonio said. (As the result of the case against Ester Ylagan drags on, it’s been three years, the longer the injustice to the victims rankles. Where is justice? It’s been three years.) 

Police descend on Peya's office on Christmas Day, 2017 (file)

The case of the Peya Travel Agency flight booking fiasco may end up doubly heartbreaking for its victims, who were mostly domestic workers.

More than three and a half years on, police have all but dropped the case involving the defunct travel agency which operated out of  World-Wide Plaza in Central.

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A spokesperson for the Hong Kong Police told The SUN that Peya’s managing director Rhea Donna “Yanyan” Boyce and marketing manager Arnold Grospe have both been released with no charges being filed against either of them.

“They have not been rearrested and, as such, have no police bail and are not required to report to the police every month,” the spokeswoman said.

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However, she said the police has not closed the case, and is still seeking legal opinion and gathering evidence.

Boyce, who was 38 at the time, was arrested in her house in Wanchai on Christmas day 2017, but was released on police bail after being questioned for two days. Her Australian husband Peter was also initially arrested but was later dropped from the case.

Grospe, who was then 49, was the first to be invited for questioning but was not initially arrested. On Jun 6, 2018, he was picked up in Central for his suspected involvement in a fraud conspiracy, but was subsequently released on police bail.

The flight booking mess unraveled just days before Christmas in 2017 when about 200 travelers, mostly Filipino domestic helpers headed home for family reunions, were not allowed by airlines to board their flights.

It turned out the carriers had refused to honor their bookings because Peya owed them a lot of money.

Anger and frustration over their aborted flights drove hundreds of ticket-buyers to descend on the travel agent’s office on Dec 19, 2017 to demand a refund and compensation.

The police initially said as many as 645 people had complained against Peya and estimated the sum involved to be about $2 million. But the Consulate said later about 1,200 people had sought their help in filing complaints and claiming a refund.

Eventually, Cathay Pacific and Philippine Airlines decided to step in by sending bigger planes to Hong Kong and offering “distress fare” to the bumped-off passengers.

Cebu Pacific also stepped up to the plate by offering 50 free tickets to the affected travelers on a first-come, first-served basis. The offer was later matched by the Department of Foreign Affairs through a deal hatched with PAL.

But there were many others who were unable to board their flights or get a refund.

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Emry’s owner jailed 32 months for laundering $5.7m earned from jobs scam

 

Ylagan running for cover after an earlier hearing of her case at the District Court  (File)

The co-owner of what used to be the biggest employment agency deploying Filipino workers to Hong Kong was today sentenced to 32 months’ imprisonment for laundering more than $5.7 million she made from defrauding about 500 jobseekers.

Ester P. Ylagan, 71, was stoic as she was sentenced by Deputy District Judge Katherine Lo, two weeks after she pleaded guilty to four charges of money laundering. 

The charges stemmed from the cash remittances she made to various people in Malaysia, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Turkey between January to July 2016, knowing that the money she sent were proceeds from a crime. 

In court to witness the end of the seven-year case were three of more than 100 Filipino victims who filed complaints against Ylagan after being charged between $10,000 and $15,000 each for non-existent jobs in the United Kingdom and Canada. 

Joining them was Ester Bangcawayan of the Mission for Migrant Workers who helped pursue their case with the police and the courts.

Her victims (first 3 from the left) were in court along with staff of the MFMW

Dozens of victims had agreed to act as witnesses against Ylagan, if she persisted in pleading not guilty to the charges. Those who were in court said they were glad that Ylagan was finally going to jail, but were upset that she was not ordered to compensate them.

The judge said Ylagan promised the mainly domestic helper applicants jobs in Canada and the UK, with salaries of as high as £2,000 for any job. Keen to leave their Hong Kong jobs, they paid Ylagan more than $6 million in total between January and June 2016.

The judge said part of this sum was remitted by Ylagan overseas. The rest, which she said amounted to about $570,000, was not accounted for. “So the defendant received more than she remitted,” said the judge.

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This belied the defense claim that Ylagan was herself a victim, asserting that about $2 million of what she sent overseas was her own money.

More than 100 complainants against Ylagan gathered outside Central police station in 2016

In the first charge, Ylagan was accused of remitting a total of HK$2,633,181.52 and US$44,658 (HK$347,439) to Malaysia, Nigeria and Burkina Faso between Jan 29 and May 5, 2016. The total sum of HK$2,980,620 was dealt with in cash.

In the second count, she was accused of moving a total sum of US$300,000 (HK$2,334,000) from an account with Standard Chartered Bank to a recipient in Turkey from May 12 to 23, 2016.

The third charge said Ylagan, using her account at HSBC, again sent to Turkey a total of US$10,055 (HK$78,227) between May 25 and 26, 2016.

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In the fourth charge, she remitted again to Turkey a total of US$50,000 (HK$389,000) from her HSBC account on Jul 8, 2016.

Judge Lo said that Hong Kong laws provide a maximum jail term of 14 years and a fine of up to $5 million for the crime of money laundering.

In Ylagan’s case, she used as starting point a sentence of four years in jail, but after allowing a one-third discount - 23% for the guilty plea and 10% for the supposed reimbursement of 45 victims - and applying the totality principle, arrived at a sentence of 32 months for all charges.

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Before sentencing, the judge noted that Ylagan had continued sending money to “William,” a recruitment agent she met only online, even after being warned by the Philippine Consulate that she was being scammed.

Even her own staff at Emry’s had refused to send any more money on her behalf after several remittance companies stopped taking their orders as early as April 2016, but she persisted.

Ylagan, here at The SUN office in May 2016, was advised to return the OFWs' money immediately  

Rejecting the mitigation that Ylagan had been put under severe stress by the long period of time it took for the case to be resolved, the judge said the delay was “not entirely unreasonable.” She noted that the police had to interview about 100 of more than 500 victims, and had to check with several remittance companies and consult the consulates of the Philippines, the UK and Canada to build up their case.

Ylagan’s jail time will only partly vindicate the duped jobseekers, who had clung to the hope that they could still recover their money, despite the defendant filing for bankruptcy earlier. Her lawyer also told the court that she had subsisted on her earnings as an assistant cook, and later, on financial assistance from the government.

Through her counsel, Ylagan claimed she had intended to refund her victims by selling her flat in Aberdeen, but that her erstwhile friend and legal adviser, barrister Ody Lai, who offered to sell it for her, managed to acquire ownership over the property without paying her anything. Ylagan said she was still seeking Legal Aid to recover the flat.

Ylagan fled Hong Kong in July 2016 after the victims filed complaints with the Philippine Consulate and the police, and Emry’s was forced to shut down.

Before leaving Hong Kong, she jumped the gun on the complainants by going to the police to file a complaint about being duped of $4.19 million by a business partner she met only online, named William Clinton.

She and her husband, Ricardo Ylagan (who passed on in October 2017), also managed to transfer ownership over their Aberdeen flat to their son, Ridge Michael, on July 23, 2016, allegedly on Lau’s advice. 

But on March 20, 2017, the flat was recorded as having been sold to Lai for $5 million. (Related story here: http://www.sunwebhk.com/search?q=Ody+Lai&m=1 

In December 2017, Ester returned to Hong Kong and filed a complaint with the police against Lai, who was investigated but was allowed to post bail.

On June 7, 2018 Ylagan was formally arrested by the police for money laundering. She was also allowed to post bail.

All throughout, her victims were given help by then Labor Attache Jalilo dela Torre, the Consulate’s assistance to nationals section, the Mission for Migrant Workers, and The SUN.

In mitigation, defense counsel Michael Delaney said Ylagan, a college dropout, came to Hong Kong to work as a domestic helper in 1984. She was married with three children in the Philippines at the time.

Ylagan later divorced her first husband and married Rick Ylagan, who founded Emry’s in 1992. She bore him a son, Michael.

She had a clear record for the past 40 years in Hong Kong prior to the job scam saga. Letters submitted to court by various people, including employers and church people, described her as a woman of good character, while her lawyer said she was remorseful and at her age, is not likely to reoffend.

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