Pinoy in $48-M US book publishing scam to be sentenced after pleading guilty

A Filipino call center executive is scheduled to be sentenced by a federal court in San Diego, California, after admitting involvement in a $48-million publishing scam that victimized more than 800 people across the United States, most of them senior citizens.

Michael Cris Traya Sordilla, 34, entered into a plea agreement on May 7 with federal prosecutors in exchange for a lighter sentence, according to the US Attorney's Office in the Southern District of California.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 24, 2026.

Meanwhile, his co-conspirators Gemma Traya Austin, 60; Bryan Tarosa, 35; and Michael Glenn Austin, 35, are awaiting trial. Gemma Austin and Tarosa remain in custody while Michael Austin is out on bail.

Sordilla was the founder and CEO of Innocentrix Philippines, a business processing outsourcing company in Mandaue City, Cebu.

"Sordilla admitted that he and his co-conspirators created and registered phony business entities in the United States," the US Attorney's Office, Southern District of California said in its press release. These business entities are PageTurner Press and Media LLC, The Metro Films LLC, and WP Lighthouse LLC.

From 2017 to 2024, authorities said Sordilla and his co-conspirators operated a fraudulent network of scammers in the Philippines using these fake companies to deceive aspiring authors in the US with promises of publishing deals and Hollywood movie adaptations.

Court documents showed that Innocentrix Philippines managed a call center in the Philippines where dozens of sales representatives posed as literary agents from PageTurner or WP Lighthouse.

Victims, mostly seniors, were falsely told that their books had been selected by publishers or movie studios and were convinced to send payments for taxes, transaction fees, and other supposed publishing-related services before their works could allegedly move forward.

Federal prosecutors said the conspirators also falsely claimed to have connections with literary agents, major publishing companies, movie studios, and popular video streaming platforms to make the scheme appear legitimate.

"Sordilla directed co-conspirators to open and manage bank accounts in the name of PageTurner and WP Lighthouse LLC at various financial institutions," according to his plea agreement, as cited by the US Attorney's Office, Southern District of California in its press release.

After the funds were deposited by victims into bank accounts established on behalf of PageTurner and WP Lighthouse, Sordilla directed co-conspirators to withdraw and transfer the money to domestic and international bank accounts in the Philippines controlled by him and his associates in an effort to conceal the source and have control of the proceeds from the publishing scam.

Sordilla also directed co-conspirators to launder at least $42 million and personally received approximately $2,725,951.

As part of the plea agreement, Sordilla agreed to forfeit $2,725,951 in proceeds from the offense.

He will also be subject to an order of restitution to the victims in the amount of at least $48,719,156.38. —KG, GMA News