The New Taipei District Court on Tuesday convicted Chang Shu-ching (張淑晶), who has become known as the “evil landlady,” for using various schemes to defraud more than 100 tenants over several years, sentencing her to eight years and two months in prison.
The court convicted 49-year-old Chang on a total of 22 counts of fraud, lodging false accusations and coercion that affected 78 tenants.
The ruling permits her to pay a fine in lieu of a 14-month portion of the prison term, meaning she could serve only seven years in jail.
Huang Tuo (黃鐸), 55, who owned several properties with Chang and was a codefendant in the case, was found not guilty.
Chang and her lawyer said they would consider appealing the ruling.
Chang attempted to evade the media and did not answer questions when she appeared for a civil lawsuit hearing on other disputes with tenants at the Taiwan High Court in Taipei yesterday.
A man surnamed Fu (傅), who was involved in earlier litigation against Chang, told reporters that he wanted to thank the judges for doing the right thing.
“This ruling has given us tenants some comfort. We hope to see more of these good judges, and less of these wicked landlords,” Fu said.
He said Chang refused to return his NT$30,000 deposit after he moved out following a one-year rental of a suite.
Chang has been indicted in another criminal case that is still on going, with the two trials involving a total of 160 tenants who have said they were cheated by her.
Over the past few years, Chang has gained notoriety in the news as the “evil landlady” for allegedly defrauding Taiwanese and foreigners through means including fraudulent documentation, hidden contract clauses, inflated costs and litigation against tenants.
An investigation found that Chang and Huang subdivided properties in New Taipei City’s Banciao (板橋), Sinjhuang (新莊), Yonghe (永和), and Jhonghe (中和) districts into individual suites, which they began to rent out at low prices in 2013, prosecutors said.
The investigation found that Chang allegedly deceived some tenants by showing them a newly renovated suite in good condition, but provided them another suite of inferior quality after they signed a rental contract and paid a deposit, prosecutors said.
Other alleged schemes included attaching clauses to signed contracts to force tenants to pay more money, such as extra costs for heating and electricity, and a stipulation requiring tenants to pay a NT$100,000 fine if they do not answer the telephone when she would call, prosecutors added.
“Chang knew most tenants were members of lower socioeconomic levels, such as students, single parents and people seeking work,” the ruling said. “Taking advantage of their urgent needs for housing, she deceived victims into signing rental contracts and providing the name and contact information for a guarantor.”
“In her numerous disputes, Chang filed lawsuits against tenants and their guarantors to seek financial gain. Her actions were a drain on the time and resources of the nation’s justice system,” it said. “The litigation also exposed the victims to judicial investigation and court proceedings.”
“For her offenses, the false accusations against 78 people and abuse of the justice system, Chang should be punished,” it added.
Beijing could eventually see a full amphibious invasion of Taiwan as the only "prudent" way to bring about unification, the US Department of Defense said in a newly released annual report to Congress. The Pentagon's "Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2025," was in many ways similar to last year’s report but reorganized the analysis of the options China has to take over Taiwan. Generally, according to the report, Chinese leaders view the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) capabilities for a Taiwan campaign as improving, but they remain uncertain about its readiness to successfully seize
Taiwan is getting a day off on Christmas for the first time in 25 years. The change comes after opposition parties passed a law earlier this year to add or restore five public holidays, including Constitution Day, which falls on today, Dec. 25. The day marks the 1947 adoption of the constitution of the Republic of China, as the government in Taipei is formally known. Back then the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) governed China from Nanjing. When the KMT, now an opposition party in Taiwan, passed the legislation on holidays, it said that they would help “commemorate the history of national development.” That
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
RSS