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Village chief candidate sentenced to prison for using son's account in money laundering scheme

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • A man in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, was sentenced to prison and ordered to pay over NT$12 million for his role in a fraud scheme where he used his infant son's bank account to launder money.
  • The man, who was also running for village chief, acted as a money mule for a fraud group, instructing his son to withdraw large sums of cash from the account.
  • The son, who was unaware of the fraudulent activities and believed the money was for purchasing lottery tickets, was acquitted due to his lack of intent.

A man in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, who was simultaneously campaigning to be a village chief and working as a money mule for a fraud ring, has been sentenced to 1 year and 8 months in prison. He was also ordered to pay over NT$12.66 million in damages to a victim.

The man, identified by his surname Li, was involved with a fraud group that lured victims into investing in Hong Kong real estate through fake online advertisements. Li provided his infant son's postal savings account, opened when the child was born, to the group. He then instructed his son to withdraw large sums of cash from the account, which were then converted into Tether cryptocurrency to obscure the illicit funds.

The victim, a wealthy businesswoman surnamed Guo, lost over NT$12.66 million. After reporting the incident, police arrested Li. During the trial, Li admitted to his crimes but claimed he was too busy with his car repair business and village chief campaign to make the withdrawals himself, thus enlisting his son's help. He asserted that his son was unaware of the money's origin.

I had to fix motorcycles and campaign for village chief. My schedule was packed every day. I didn't have time to wait in line at the post office for one or two hours, so I asked my son to help withdraw the money.

— LiThe defendant explaining why he involved his son in the money withdrawal process.

The son testified that his father had always managed his bank account since his birth and had previously handled large cash transactions for purchasing lottery tickets. He believed this time was no different and was unaware his father was involved in money laundering. The court, considering the father-son relationship and the son's apparent lack of intent, acquitted him of the charges.

However, Li's criminal actions were clear, and he was convicted of fraud. He did not contest the civil claim for damages, leading the court to order him to fully compensate the victim for her losses.

My father usually buys lottery tickets in bulk before the Lunar New Year. I thought he was doing that again. I never imagined my own father was laundering money for a fraud group.

— Li's sonThe son explaining his unawareness of the criminal activities.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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