A Taiwanese woman surnamed Liao (廖) and a man surnamed Huang (黃) have been indicted for orchestrating a cross-border romance scam that defrauded three U.S. citizens of over US$5.32 million, the Taichung District Prosecutors Office announced Tuesday.
According to prosecutors, 36-year-old Liao led the fraud ring and recruited 39-year-old Huang in 2023 to manage the collection of illegal proceeds. Liao allegedly used passports from two unaware individuals to open U.S. business bank accounts used to receive funds from victims.
The scheme lured victims through romantic manipulation into making initial small investments. Eventually, the victims were persuaded to transfer larger sums via bank transfers or direct cash handovers to U.S.-based accomplices Hsiao (肖) and Sun (孫), both American citizens whose cases are being pursued by U.S. authorities.
Prosecutors say the criminal profits were laundered through accounts in Liao’s mother’s name and used to purchase luxury goods including a Swiss watch, an 8-carat diamond ring, cryptocurrency (Bitcoin and Tether), and a Lexus.
Liao was arrested at Taoyuan International Airport on January 24 following intelligence provided by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in coordination with Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau.
This case marked a milestone in Taiwan-U.S. legal cooperation. In March, HSI investigators visited the Taichung Prosecutors Office, and in April, Taiwanese prosecutors traveled to Los Angeles and Nashville to assist in arrests and interviews, supported by the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office.
Notably, prosecutor Chang Fu-chun (張富鈞) questioned suspect Sun on-site in Nashville, the first direct U.S.-based interrogation by a Taiwanese prosecutor under the 2002 Taiwan-U.S. legal assistance treaty.
Liao and Huang face multiple charges, including aggravated fraud, money laundering, and passport misuse under various Taiwanese laws. Prosecutors are recommending a 10-year sentence for Liao and five years for Huang.
Seized assets are set to be auctioned by the Ministry of Justice’s Taichung branch, with proceeds to be returned to U.S. authorities per Taiwanese regulations.
