The Taipei District Prosecutors' Office today indicted six people on suspicion of defrauding late Taiya Group chairman Shen Yu-hsiung (沈裕雄) of nearly NT$5 billion (US$169.38 million).
The suspected leader of the scheme was Lo Pei-wen (羅佩雯), who was charged with fraud and money laundering along with Cheng Chun-chun (鄭淳駿), Yang Kuo-lung (楊國隆), Hsieh Tsung-han (謝宗翰), Lo Wen-chieh (羅文傑) and Chan Yi-ling (詹依苓), prosecutors said.
Lo Pei-wen, Cheng and Hsieh have been detained and held incommunicado during the investigation, and their cases are to be transferred to the Taipei District Court, which would decide whether to extend their detention, prosecutors said.
Photo: CNA
Lo Pei-wen served time for fraud involving false claims of profits from plane ticket arbitrage between 2008 and 2011, they said.
She obtained parole in June 2014, but was facing financial problems in 2015 and convinced 10 people to invest more than NT$525 million with her, repaying early investors with high interest using funds received from later investors, prosecutors said.
Lo Pei-wen is suspected of defrauding Shen of more than NT$4.88 billion after meeting the clothing company chairman through Cheng, prosecutors said, adding that Cheng allegedly helped Lo Pei-wen receive money from Shen using his personal bank accounts
In a separate scheme, Lo Pei-wen allegedly defrauded Shen of an additional NT$54.5 million and US$7.14 million between July 2022 and February 2023 by falsely claiming she could assist with immigration investments in countries such as Australia, Mexico and the UK, prosecutors said.
Shen died in October 2023, and his family filed a complaint after repeatedly having trouble reconciling his accounts.
Prosecutors said that Lo Pei-wen transferred her criminal proceeds to her ex-husband Hsieh, who used the funds to open a restaurant and buy property in Australia.
She also sent money to her brother Lo Wen-chieh and sister-in-law Chan under false loan agreements to fund restaurants and property purchases, prosecutors said.
To get some of the funds back, the Shilin Branch of the Administrative Enforcement Agency auctioned 130 luxury items seized from Lo Pei-wen, raising NT$21.41 million in two sales held in May and June, prosecutors added.
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