Former Yilan official who defrauded 17 people dies in custody

Hsu Chih-hsin, a former specialist within the Yilan County government, has died from illness while in custody. Hsu was serving multiple prison sentences for defrauding 17 individuals out of NT$65 million. He had falsely claimed to be the secretary or assistant to County Magistrate Lin Tzu-miao to carry out his schemes between 2021 and 2024.

His sentences stemmed from two main types of fraud. In one set of cases, Hsu deceived 10 people by promising investment opportunities in unannounced government procurement projects. In another, he defrauded 7 individuals by soliciting funds for private investments. The legal proceedings involved multiple trials and appeals, with varying sentences handed down by different court levels.

Initially, the Yilan District Court sentenced Hsu to 12 years. The High Court later reduced the sentence to 4 years and 10 months, reclassifying some charges under general fraud. However, the Supreme Court sent back 10 of the cases for review. In a subsequent ruling, the High Court again found these 10 cases to constitute fraud by a public servant using their position, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court.

Hsu had been temporarily held at the Taipei Detention Center. He was transferred for medical care last month due to conditions including stomach bleeding. Authorities reported that an autopsy confirmed his death was due to natural causes.