Police officers and teachers were among the more than 5,000 members of an online forum that former TV host and convicted pedophile Mickey Huang (黃子佼) used to buy images of child sexual abuse, authorities said yesterday.
The High Court yesterday handed Huang a suspended sentence of one year and six months for possessing sexually explicit images of 37 minors between the ages of 10 and 17 purchased on the now-shuttered “Chuangyi Sifang” (“Creative Private House,” 創意私房) forum.
The paid-access forum, launched in 2012 by an operator known as “Lao Ma” (老馬), sold voyeuristic recordings, prostitution footage and child sexual exploitation videos. It also allowed select members to upload such material and earn money from it, investigators said.
Photo: CNA
Following the shutdown, prosecutors nationwide traced thousands of files distributed through encrypted platforms and cryptocurrency payments.
Taichung prosecutors, who are leading the investigation, have indicted 13 suspects and granted deferred prosecution to 247 others, uncovering more than 200,000 illicit videos involving more than 4,000 victims.
High-profile members include former elementary-school teacher Lin Ching-an (林清安), who later handled the forum’s finances and was given a final sentence of six years and three months. Lin did not contest the ruling.
Another suspect, Chen Tsung-chun (陳宗駿), filmed women and underage girls he lured online and sold the footage to the site. He received a sentence of 12 years before the Supreme Court ordered a retrial in April.
Several police officers and educators were also implicated.
Former Taipei officers surnamed Kuo (郭) and Huang (黃) were identified as members, with Kuo given a combined sentence of 13 years and two months for covertly filming women.
A former Pingtung officer surnamed Liu (劉) was sentenced to one year and 10 months for exploiting underage victims, while a cram-school instructor surnamed Chen (陳) received a 12-year sentence for molesting and filming teenage girls.
In March, claims that 80 “premium members” could request specific illegal content prompted Taipei and Taichung prosecutors to open new cases.
The identity of “Lao Ma” remains unknown and is under investigation.
Criminal Investigation Bureau Director-General Chou Yu-wei (周幼偉) said the case illustrates global challenges in tackling online child exploitation, including encrypted communications, anonymous networks and crypto-based money laundering.
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