Prosecutors in Taipei yesterday indicted 35 people, including the operator of a Hong Kong-style diner in Taipei, for allegedly laundering more than NT$30.6 billion (US$970.3 million) in illegal online gambling proceeds through payment processing platforms they controlled.
The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said a man surnamed Lo (羅), 41, who runs Ming Shiang Yuan Cafe (茗香園冰室), was charged with money laundering, organized criminal activity and illegal online gambling.
Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of nine and a half years for Lo.
Photo: Wu Sheng-ju, Taipei Times
Lo launched the alleged scheme in August 2020 after purchasing the source code for a payment system and building apps named HeroPay and MatchPay, prosecutors said.
Lo allegedly partnered with illegal online gambling Web sites operating in China, Japan and India, routing player deposits through the two platforms rather than directly to the gambling operators.
Lo recruited a woman surnamed Huang (黃) to handle finance and administrative work and rented office space under the name of his restaurant, prosecutors said.
In June 2022, the group launched its own online gambling Web site, Rich 11, offering baccarat, slot machines and sports betting, with HeroPay used to collect deposits.
Authorities estimate that the group laundered NT$30.695 billion through its gambling operations and payment services.
The proceeds were used as profits for Lo, operating funds for the payment platforms and capital for other businesses, including another restaurant, Dongyin Quick Knifeman (東引快刀手), prosecutors said.
Prosecutors indicted Lo, Huang and 33 others under the Organized Crime Prevention Act (組織犯罪防制條例), the Money Laundering Control Act (洗錢防制法) and Criminal Code provisions related to online gambling.
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