Guest Blog Post: Can a Flawed US Legal System Discourage Fraud? A Look at the PageTurner Scam Prosecution

In December 2024, the FBI arrested the CEO, VP, and an associate of PageTurner Press and Media, one of the most prolific and predatory of the many Philippine publishing scams. The government determined that over the course of six years, PageTurner–which did business in the Philippines under the name Innocentrix–defrauded nearly 900 writers of more than $48 million. The gears of US justice grind slowly (especially these days), but in early May, PageTurner CEO Michael Cris Traya Sordilla pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one of money laundering. Although each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, the government’s sentencing guidellines in Sordilla’s plea agreement suggest he will serve much less time. The plea agreement also requires Sordilla to pay millions of dollars in restitution to his victims. Will anyone ever receive those payments, though? Today’s guest post by retired Professor of Economics Trent Bertrand takes a look at that question, using the…