2 Cebu-based execs held, linked to $44M scam in US can return to PH if…

Lawyer denies allegations against his clients, tags 2 rogue sales agents as culprits

Lawyer Oliver Baclay Jr., spokesperson for Innocentrix CEO Mike Sordilla, vehemently denies his cleints’ involvement in the alleged $44-million publishing scam that defrauded hundreds of elderly writers in the United States. | CDN Photo/ Pinky Rondina

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Two Cebu-based business process outsourcing (BPO) executives, who are among three Filipinos implicated in the alleged $44-million publishing scam that defrauded hundreds of elderly writers in the United States, have a 99.99 percent chance of returning to the Philippines.

This is according to their legal counsel, Oliver Baclay Jr., in a press briefing on Friday, April 11, where he vehemently denied the involvement of his clients to the alleged $44-million publishing scam.

Lawyer Baclay was referring to Mike Sordilla, CEO of Innocentrix and founder of Hiyas Pilipinas; and Bryan Tarosa, vice president of Innocentrix.

Innocentrix is the BPO firm set up by Sordilla in Mandaue City.

Who and what charges they face

Both executives and California-based Gemma Traya Austin are facing charges in the U.S. of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy for operating a book publishing scam that ran for 7 years.

Baclay claims that Sordilla and Tarosa had no criminal liability, and that the U.S. charges stemmed from the unauthorized actions of two rogue sales agents who exploited the company’s systems during a work-from-home arrangement at the height of the pandemic.

“Mike denies any criminal liabilities. All the accusations stated on the DOJ website—and later carried by various news outlets—were the actions of sales agents who acted without authority, exceeded their authority, or accessed the IT infrastructure of Innocentrix without authorization.

 All those actions were contrary to the policies of Innocentrix,” Baclay told reporters during a press conference.

READ: Hiyas ng Pilipinas chair indicted for book publishing scam in US

Where they are detained

Sordilla and Tarosa are currently detained at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in San Diego after they were arrested in the U.S. in December 2024.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) alleges that the three operated a fraudulent scheme under the name PageTurner, Press and Media LLC from September 2017 to December 2024, promising elderly authors that their books would be turned into Hollywood films in exchange for thousands of dollars in fees.

The operation reportedly defrauded over 800 victims of a total of $44 million (roughly P2.5 billion in today’s rates).

READ: Ride-hailing app Maxim responds to scam allegations

Accusations unfounded, 10 iPhones

But Baclay maintained his stance that the accusations were “unfounded and exaggerated.”

He said the DOJ’s basis came from unauthorized actions of specific employees, not company policy.

He also addressed suspicions over Sordilla’s purchase of more than 10 iPhones in the U.S., which authorities believed could be tied to the alleged fraud.

“Balak ni Mike bumili ng mga gadgets for Thanksgiving at ang intensyon niya naman ay para pasayahin yung kanyang pamilya dito sa Innocentrix,” Baclay explained.

(Mike intended to buy those gadgets for Thanksgiving, and he intends to make his Innocentrix family here happy.)

“Those gadgets are not meant to commit scams. Kung yung cellphones na yun ay talagang balak mang scam daw, e di dapat dito na lang siya bumili—bakit kailangan pa sa US? So, there’s some sort of socio-cultural difference, no? Kasi nung nakita ng taga-US na marami ang phone, it may not be culturally accepted or that common for them,” he added.

(Those gadgets are not meant to commit scams. If the intention is to use those cellphones to scam people, then it should have been bought here—why would they be bought in the US? So, there’s some sort of socio-cultural difference, no? Because what those in the US saw of someone having several phones may not be culturally accepted, or that [not being] common for them.)

READ: The latest scams you need to be aware of in 2025

How Sordilla was arrested

Baclay also recalled the circumstances of Sordilla’s arrest on November 9, 2024, saying it was done abruptly and without explanation.

“Nung November 9, kakatapos lang nila mag-lunch sa isang restaurant sa San Diego, may pumasok sa restaurant. Medyo sa malakas na boses nagtanong, ‘Mike Sordilla?’ Dahil wala namang tinatago itong kaibigan natin si Mike, inosenteng niya lang sinabing, ‘Yes?’” Baclay said.

(Last November 9, they had just finished lunch in a restaurant in San Diego, and someone entered the restaurant. And in a quite loud voice asked, ‘Mike Sordilla?’ Because our friend, Mike, has nothing to hide and innocently said, ‘Yes?’” Baclay said.

“Two persons forcefully grabbed Michael by the arm as he was leaving the restaurant, placed him in the car, and handcuffed him without informing him of anything,” he added.

Sordilla’s bail application was later denied because of concerns about Sordilla’s alleged perceived influence in the Philippines.

On release? The question is when?

Baclay confirmed that he personally met with Sordilla at the San Diego facility on February 5, 2025, and that his client was in good health.

He also expressed confidence in the executives’ eventual return to the country, although he admitted the timing was still uncertain due to the different judicial processes in the U.S.

“Malaki ang chance na makabalik sila sa Pilipinas, I would say 99.99%. The more important question is, kailan? Various jurisdictions have their own judicial processes,” Baclay said.

(There is a big chance that they can return to the Philippines. I would say 99.99 percent. The more important question is when? Various jurisdictions have their own judicial processes.)

“In the US, may malaking role ang prosecutor. In fact, parang kalagitnaan ng case na nasa prosecutor, ‘Hey, we committed some mistake,’ so the prosecutor can drop the case. And then a big percentage of cases in the US are settled with some form of plea bargaining. Konting-konting lang yung umaabot sa trial, tsaka umaabot sa jury trial, noh?,” he said.

(In the US, the prosecutor has a big role. In fact, like in the middle of the case handled by the prosecutor, ‘Hey, we committed some mistake,’ so the prosecutor can drop the case. And then a big percentage of cases in the US are settled with some form of plea bargaining. Only a few really could go to trial, and those reaching the jury trial?)

What DOJ said

According to the DOJ, Sordilla and Tarosa supported the fraudulent operation from the Philippines by recruiting authors and persuading them to pay large sums for services, including tax clearances, production, and marketing tie-ups with film studios.

PageTurner’s website has since been taken down as part of the ongoing federal investigation, led by the FBI and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

Despite the gravity of the charges, Baclay stressed that under U.S. law, all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty.