Woman indicted on fraud charges linked to death of 5 in Taichung

Taichung, Nov. 14 (CNA) A woman allegedly linked to the extortion and suicide deaths of five people in Taichung has been indicted on fraud and other charges, prosecutors said Friday.

In a news release, the Taichung District Prosecutors Office said it is seeking a prison sentence of more than 15 years for the woman, following her indictment Thursday on charges of fraud, intimidation and violations against the Banking Act.

The suspect, surnamed Lee (李), is accused of scamming and extorting a family of five over a one-year period, which eventually led them to commit suicide in July, according to the indictment.

It all started in June 2024, when Lee was introduced to the Wang family by a 35-year-old woman surnamed Chang (張), a former classmate of the family's eldest daughter, prosecutors said.

At the time, Lee was in financial difficulty due to mismanagement of her group-purchase business, and she embarked on a fraudulent gold investment scheme, which she scammed the Wangs into joining, prosecutors said.

Unaware that it was a fraudulent deal, the family invested more than NT$15.36 million (US$493,146) in the scheme but later became suspicious and refused to put in more money, according to prosecutors.

In June this year, Lee allegedly began sending threatening messages to the family and demanding "penalty fees" of NT$5.3 million, prosecutors said.

In an effort to defuse the situation, the family mortgaged their home to borrow NT$2 million from a lender recommended by Lee, and they reportedly gave her NT$1.76 million in cash, prosecutors said.

On June 4, the five members of the Wang family were found dead in their home. Suicide notes found at the scene expressed deep regrets about trusting a former classmate and investing in what turned out to be a fake gold investment scheme, according to prosecutors.

The family members, who were all living in the same household in Taichung's Fengyuan District, wrote that they were overwhelmed by debt and could no longer repay what they owed, prosecutors disclosed.

Lee and Chang were questioned by prosecutors, and the latter was subsequently placed under residency restrictions on suspicion of fraud, while Lee was released on bail of NT$150,000 and restricted from traveling overseas.

According to prosecutors, Lee has now been indicted on charges of fraud, intimidation and violations against the Banking Act, and Chang remains under investigation.