Johanne Liou (劉喬安), a Taiwanese woman who shot to unwanted fame during the Sunflower movement protests in 2014, was arrested in Boston last month amid US President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigrants, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said yesterday.
The arrest of Liou was first made public on the official Web site of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Tuesday.
ICE said Liou was apprehended for overstaying her visa.
Photo: Screen grab from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Web site
The Boston Field Office’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) had arrested Liou, a “fugitive, criminal alien wanted for embezzlement, fraud and drug crimes in Taiwan,” ICE said.
Liou was taken into custody during an operation on Jan. 23, it added.
ERO Boston Field Office Director Patricia Hyde said: “Arresting this foreign fugitive and criminal alien underscores the importance of our collaboration with local law enforcement to safeguard public safety and uphold the integrity of our immigration system.”
Liou had entered the US lawfully on a temporary visitor’s visa on May 2019, but failed to depart by her required exit date in August the same year, ICE said.
Liou is to remain in the custody of the ERO until her “removal” from the US, which the CIB estimates would be some time next month, it added.
The CIB said it had assisted ICE in the arrest by providing information on Liou.
Liou, whose looks and revealing attire caught the eyes of Taiwanese media and earned her the nickname “Sunflower Queen” during the Sunflower movement in 2014, had allegedly introduced Taiwanese women to a prostitution ring in the US in 2015.
She was barred from leaving Taiwan a decade ago for her involvement in the suspected cross-border ring. Liou’s name was subsequently covered in a negative light by Taiwanese media for her alleged involvement in embezzlement, fraud and drug crimes.
Liou became a wanted criminal by the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office in 2023 for failing to appear in court.
Due to her status as a fugitive of New Taipei City, the CIB said she would be turned over to the custody of the city’s prosecutors, who would then determine which of her alleged crimes she would have to first stand trial for.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
Carrefour Taiwan is to begin using a new name from the start of July, but it cannot divulge the name until then, the chairman of the supermarket chain's parent company said today. President Chain Store Co chairman Lo Chih-hsien (羅智先) was asked by reporters after a shareholders' meeting to confirm whether the company has settled on a new name for the supermarket brand. In March, the government-registered name of two Carrefour Taiwan branches was quietly changed to "Le Chia Kang" (樂家康) in Chinese, raising speculation that has been selected as the name. Lo said that because of local regulations and contractual obligations, the
The Philippines would likely be involved in any conflict over Taiwan due to its proximity to the democracy claimed by China, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said, reiterating a stance that risks angering Beijing. “In the Philippines, we do not have a choice because Taiwan is so close to the Philippines and we have almost 200,000 Filipino nationals living and working in Taiwan,” Marcos said in an interview with Japanese media in Manila on Monday. The Philippine leader’s comments come ahead of a state visit to Japan next week, where he is to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to discuss security
RSS