A man in Taichung, who had been indicted on fraud charges, was found dead in an apartment, prosecutors said on Sunday.
Taichung prosecutors said that Lin Yi-sheng’s (林意盛) body had been found on Friday in his rented apartment’s bathroom, with some tools next to him.
The coroner’s report stated there were no signs of external force or foul play in Lin’s death, Taichung prosecutors said, adding that Lin’s body was handed over to his family.
Photo: Screen grab from the Pet Rainbow Paradise Co Web site
Taipei prosecutors on Tuesday last week charged Lin with embezzlement, saying that his Pet Rainbow Paradise Co had collected NT$10.255 million (US$325,040) in donations for the cremation of stray animals, but he used NT$5.318 million of it for personal expenses.
After receiving tip-offs regarding the suspected fraud, they conducted a search to investigate receipts and accounting books, resulting in embezzlement charges, prosecutors said.
From February 2019 to September 2021, Lin received donations, but evidence indicated that he had transferred more than half of the donations to his personal bank account, Taipei prosecutors said.
He used the money to take trips to Japan, make purchases at malls and convenience stores, and buy high-speed rail tickets and gym membership.
Lin ran advertisements on the online platform zeczec for his crowdfunding campaign to cremate stray animals, saying that “each stray deserves love and kindness,” and more than 8,800 people donated money to it, court filings showed.
Lin in his advertisement said stray animals are often found dead by the side of the road, and his organization would pick up the remains of a stray cat or dog anywhere in Taiwan and cremate it, court filings said.
Pet Rainbow Paradise’s Web site says that as of Jan. 14 it had handled 11,651 stray corpses, sharing their location, the names of people who reported them, expenses and collaborating organizations.
It named Tsz Cheng New World, a funeral service provider in Chiayi County, as a partner.
Tsz Cheng New World executives, after finding out about the matter, issued a statement saying that they already deal with stray animal remains themselves, and do not work with any intermediaries or online crowdfunding organizations.
Following the statement, some donors filed judicial complaints, which prompted investigators to launch a probe into Lin’s operation.
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