Taipei prosecutors yesterday indicted former TV producer Lee Neng-chien (李能謙) on suspicion of spying for China, seeking a 12-year prison sentence.
Lee, the husband of actress Liu Hsiang-chun (劉香君) and a retired air force serviceman, was among five people suspected of being recruited by Chinese intelligence officials, and leaking classified military information and personal data in exchange for financial payments and other benefits, the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said.
The five face charges under the National Security Act (國家安全法), the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法) and the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法), prosecutors said.
Photo courtesy of Wan Hung
The office said it initially directed the New Taipei City Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division to investigate Lee and his associates on suspicion of fraud.
An investigation found that Lee and his suspected coconspirators had posed as famous figures such as Nvidia Corp chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳), creating fake Facebook accounts to run fan pages and share fraudulent advertisements for investment schemes, prosecutors said.
They allegedly defrauded the public of more than NT$13 million (US$409,759), they said.
Police and prosecutors carried out searches in June last year and summoned the five for questioning, prosecutors said, adding that Lee was released on NT$200,000 bail and restricted from leaving the country or traveling by sea.
Upon examining the evidence, prosecutors also suspected Lee of contravening the National Security Act.
Prosecutors coordinated a joint investigation with the Criminal Investigation Bureau’s High-Tech Crime Center and the Military Police Command in Taipei, with assistance from the Ministry of National Defense.
Lee was detained in December last year and held incommunicado.
Lee traveled to Fuzhou, China, in February last year, where he was allegedly recruited by a Chinese intelligence operative, and agreed to gather, collect and deliver military intelligence in exchange for payment, prosecutors said.
He then instructed an associate, Hsu Yin-hao (徐胤豪), to help obtain files containing more than 3,000 items of personal data, including information on Taiwanese intelligence personnel, military personnel and civilians, they said, adding that Lee sent six of those files to the Chinese intelligence operative in April last year.
In May, he traveled to Guangzhou, China, with an associate to dine with a Chinese military intelligence source and agreed once again to provide sensitive information in exchange for money, prosecutors said.
After returning to Taiwan, Lee instructed another associate to gather personal data and sensitive information on military personnel, they said.
In April last year, Lee created a Telegram group for the Chinese contact and nine other Chinese nationals, where they attempted to recruit active-duty military personnel from Taiwan, prosecutors said.
They attempted to attract recruits by saying that providing information would “help better protect Taiwan” and “deepen Taiwan-US defense cooperation,” prosecutors added.
No military personnel responded and the scheme failed, they said.
However, Lee did obtain information from retired air force serviceman Ko Meng-yu (柯孟妤) sometime before November last year, they said.
Ko was among those indicted yesterday.
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