US businessman deported from Myanmar after months in jail, state media says

Bangkok, Sep 16 (AP) Myanmar’s military-backed government has deported Adam Castillo, a US businessman and former president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar, after three months in jail on what supporters say were trumped-up charges, state media reported Wednesday.

State-run MRTV television said Castillo was flown out of the capital, Naypyitaw, earlier in the day, “in consideration of the friendly relations between Myanmar and the United States”.

The report said he had been charged with breach of trust over allegations he had violated the regulations of AmCham Myanmar. It did not say whether he had ever been brought to trial, or whether the charges had been dismissed.

Global Reach, a Washington-based nonprofit that seeks to bring home

Americans who are being wrongly held abroad, which was engaged by Castillo’s family to help in the case, confirmed his release.

“We are thrilled to see Adam coming home and are grateful for the collaboration and efforts from the Trump Administration,” said Global Reach CEO Mickey Bergman.

Castillo, 40, was released into the custody of US officials in Myanmar then flown to Bangkok, Thailand, and will soon return home to the US.

“I can’t wait to welcome my brother home, but I know it will be bittersweet for him,” said his sister Amanda Castillo in a statement. “He had such great hopes for enhanced US/Myanmar relations, and he holds the deepest respect for the Burmese people, among whom he lived for many years.” The former US Marine, who was a founder and owner of the security risk management firm AGS Myanmar, was detained at Yangon International Airport on June 11 after returning from Malaysia.

The arrest came after AmCham Myanmar accused him of financial impropriety, which he denies. At the time, Myanmar authorities would only say he had been arrested because “there was a crime and a lawsuit,” but did not provide further details.

AmCham Myanmar put out a statement on its website on Wednesday explaining its actions, saying it had “obtained independent legal advice and, consistent with its fiduciary duties and its obligations under its constitution, referred the matter to the appropriate authorities”.

It was not clear whether the AmCham’s former executive director who was also arrested in the case, an Australian national, had also been released.

AmCham Myanmar’s allegations against Castillo center around his lobbying effort aimed at generating interest in doing business with the restive Southeast Asian nation.

The MAGA loyalist had won audiences at the top levels in Washington to pitch his concept of getting the US access to Myanmar’s abundant rare earth minerals in exchange for sanctions relief.

At the same time he was running one of Myanmar’s biggest security companies, and in March published a book detailing his experiences.

The book was critical of US sanctions on Myanmar, which he argued hurt businesses and people but not the military-backed government, but also critical of the military, known as the Tatmadaw, as well as AmCham leadership.

It also detailed an episode in which Castillo said he helped a well-known dissident escape the country.

Castillo was arrested upon returning from promoting the book in Malaysia, at which point the contents of his memoir had likely become known to authorities, said Casey Barnett, who was president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia at the same time Castillo served in that role in Myanmar, and knew him from various events.

Barnett noted that Myanmar had jailed a rapper for 20 years in 2023 just for criticizing the military-government over electricity blackouts.

“The regime likely would be very aware, if not perhaps made aware, of the statements that Adam made in the book, including calling the Tatmadaw regime a great evil,” Barnett, who is now president of the CamEd Business School in Phnom Penh, told The Associated Press.

“These kinds of statements would be intolerable for a country that puts a rapper in prison for life for criticizing electricity shortages.” The AmCham’s complaint centers around Castillo’s creation of the US-Burma Economic Forum as a lobbying organization for the chamber while serving as president from 2023-2025, and a 2024 contract Castillo signed with Washington public relations firm Mercury LLC to help arrange meetings and events.

The contract was worth $300,000, which AmCham Myanmar said in its official complaint that Castillo “illegally collected” using the association’s name and that he “did not deposit these funds into the association’s bank accounts.” Detailing the internal investigation into the case in its annual report in May, the chamber said “the board never approved the agreement, AmCham Myanmar received no funds, made no payments, and received no services, and the matter was not disclosed to the statutory auditors.” But other AmCham documents would seem to contradict the annual report.

A Nov 1, 2024 resolution on AmCham Myanmar letterhead signed by board members including Castillo states that it had approved the Burma Lobby initiative and granted “full authority to act on behalf of AmCham Myanmar in connection with the initiative.” It adds that it agrees that sponsorship will be provided by Misfit Technologies and approves the engagement of Mercury Public Affairs for the lobbying initiative.

The resolution was obtained by the AP from supporters of Castillo, and AmCham Executive Director Myat Phyu The told the AP it was a “fabricated document.” An employee of Misfit Technologies, whose CEO Munimul Islam was a board member at the time and is now named in the AmCham’s complaint as one of Castillo’s co-defendants, confirmed that Islam had signed the document.

The employee spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, and other board members did not respond to emails seeking comment.

Other documents still available on the AmCham’s website also seem to confirm that the board was aware of the initiative and approved of it.

Minutes from the May 30, 2025 general meeting say Castillo proposed establishing the US-Burma Economic Forum as part of the chamber’s constitution, and that the measure passed by 42 votes to eight.

The approximately $300,000 in fees to Mercury were paid directly by Misfit Technologies’ US office because sanctions and Burmese regulations would have made it next to impossible to make the payments from Myanmar, said the Misfit employee, who specifically dealt with the matter.

Those payments were declared by Mercury to American authorities as required under the Lobbying Disclosure Act, with reports available online to the public.

And while the AmCham maintained it had received no services, the AP confirmed that Mercury did organize and attend multiple meetings in Washington with Castillo and others.

“My brother is all about law and order, he was a Marine Corps officer for goodness sake,” said sister Amanda. “The suggestion he did anything inappropriate is laughable – so many people can vouch for that.” (AP) SCY SCY