THE camp of business process outsourcing company Innocentrix Philippines has denied that its executive was involved in a US$44 million (over P2.5 billion) fraud case in the United States (US), instead blaming the company’s agents for defrauding hundreds of elderly authors.
Oliver Baclay Jr. told reporters on Friday, April 11, 2025, that Innocentrix chief executive officer Michael Cris “Mike” Sordilla maintains his innocence against the wire fraud allegations.
“Mike denies, and vehemently denies, any adult criminal liability,” said Baclay, who represented Sordilla in the press conference held in a Cebu City hotel.
Baclay said the fraud was the actions of sales agents who accessed the information technology infrastructure of Innocentrix without authority.
“All of those actions were done contrary to the policies of Innocentrix,” he said.
This was the first time that Sordilla spoke through a legal representative. Baclay also hoped that the issue would reach the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), noting the possibility of executive-level negotiations with the US.
He acknowledged the DFA’s broad authority but chose not to propose any specific course of action.
In a follow-up phone interview, Baclay said Sordilla and Tarosa already have a legal team in the US but declined to name the attorneys.
Baclay said the family delayed addressing the allegations while they sought legal connections in the US.
Arrest
On Dec. 9, 2024, US authorities arrested Sordilla, along with Bryan Navales Tarosa, Innocentrix Philippines’ vice president of operations. Their associate, Gemma Traya Austin, identified as the organizer and listed agent of PageTurner, Press and Media LLC, was arrested in Chula Vistaon Dec. 12.
Innocentrix allegedly misrepresented PageTurner as a legitimate publishing business with connections to Hollywood, enticing authors to pay fees for purported services like pre-payment of taxes and transaction fees in exchange for non-existent movie or TV adaptations of their books.
The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California detailed the charges, which include conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and money laundering, carrying significant prison terms and fines. Authorities identified over 800 victims of this scheme, which operated from September 2017 to December 2024.
Baclay repeated earlier claims that authorities “forcefully grabbed” and detained Sordilla without explanation during his arrest.
Sordilla remains detained at the San Diego Metropolitan Correctional Center after authorities denied his bail application.
Unauthorized actions
As for the sales agents, Baclay said they might have made unauthorized promises in their drive to secure sales.
“Sometimes, sales agents make promises they cannot keep just to close a sale. They promise the moon, the sun and the stars. All the alleged irregularities were not sanctioned by the company,” Baclay said in a mix of Tagalog and English.
He said investigators have identified two agents but declined to divulge more details, citing an ongoing investigation.
To prove that it is running a legitimate business, Innocentrix showed video clips of published works through PageTurner during the press conference. These included “Connected” by David Random and “The Music Therapy Profession” by Christine Korb.
According to Baclay, Innocentrix has “very strong policies against fraudulent actions” starting from recruitment.
He further said that the issue wasn’t with the payment process but how agents allegedly “induced” clients to purchase services.
The payments from clients went to authorized Innocentrix bank accounts.
Baclay said most complaints from clients occurred from 2019 to 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced the company to implement work-from-home arrangements, a setup that reduced supervisory control.
Sordilla’s family attended the press conference but declined interviews. They wore black face masks and shirts printed with images of Sordilla and Tarosa, and the plea “Bring back home Michael and Bryan.”
Friends, colleagues and a parish priest expressed support for Sordilla and Tarosa, whom they described as generous and caring individuals.
The accused, if convicted, could face up to 20 years in prison for fraud in the US. / CDF