In Taichung, a couple surnamed Guo is suspected of establishing 14 shell companies through a man surnamed Liu and others, contracting with third-party payment companies to facilitate cash outs for gambling websites. In October, police apprehended 13 individuals involved, including the Guo couple, and discovered NT$15 million in cash and related evidence in a safe and cloakroom at their residence.
In Taichung, the Guo couple allegedly set up 14 shell companies through a man surnamed Liu and others, and signed contracts with third-party payment companies to provide deposit and withdrawal services for gamblers, with illegal cash flows estimated to be in the billions. In October, police apprehended 13 individuals involved, including the Guo couple, and discovered NT$15 million in cash and seized NT$160 million in illegal funds from money laundering accounts at their residence. They were transferred for prosecution on charges of gambling and money laundering, and were released on bail ranging from NT$50,000 to NT$100,000 after questioning.
The Criminal Investigation Bureau stated today (18th) that last year (2023), they received reports from banks about abnormal transactions in several suspicious company accounts. After analysis by the Economic Crime Division and the Fraud Crime Prevention Center, it was suspected that these accounts were involved in gambling and fraud-related money laundering. Under the direction of Prosecutor Zhong Zusheng from the Taichung District Prosecutors Office, a special task force was formed with police from Taipei, Taichung, Chiayi, and Nantou to investigate.
In Taichung, the Guo couple is suspected of establishing 14 shell companies through a man surnamed Liu and others, contracting with third-party payment companies to facilitate cash outs for gambling websites. In October, police apprehended 13 individuals involved, including the Guo couple, and discovered NT$15 million in cash and related evidence in a safe and cloakroom at their residence.
In Taichung, the Guo couple is suspected of establishing 14 shell companies through a man surnamed Liu and others, contracting with third-party payment companies to facilitate cash outs for gambling websites. In October, police apprehended 13 individuals involved, including the Guo couple, and discovered NT$15 million in cash and related evidence in a safe and cloakroom at their residence.
Upon investigation, the Guo couple allegedly used these shell companies to sign collection contracts with third-party payment companies, providing services for gamblers to deposit and withdraw funds. Gamblers would first transfer their betting money to the third-party payment companies, and when they lost, the money would be transferred to the 14 shell companies. If the gamblers won, the third-party payment companies would confirm the winnings and account information with the gambling websites before disbursing the funds to the gamblers.
Since the third-party payment companies need time to verify information for payouts, sometimes gamblers suspect the gambling sites of not disbursing funds, leading to fraud complaints, which result in the companies' bank accounts being flagged.
At this point, the third-party payment companies also assist the money laundering syndicates in contacting gamblers to sign settlements, providing false documents (such as service contracts with shell companies, purchase orders, and customer information) to the police, attempting to disguise their transactions as legitimate, thereby covering up their assistance in laundering money for gambling websites.
Reportedly, the Guo couple, who are unemployed, profit by taking a 3% commission from each transaction. In October, the special task force conducted simultaneous raids in Taipei, Taichung, and other locations, apprehending 13 suspects including Guo, who even threw documents and mobile phones out of a 13th-floor window when surrounded, eventually surrendering and claiming to be involved in 'trade'.
During searches in the cloakroom and safe, up to NT$15 million in cash was discovered, along with computers, mobile phones, bank vouchers, money counters, contracts, and other evidence. Additionally, NT$160 million in illegal funds from money laundering accounts, as well as properties and land worth over NT$22 million, were seized. After questioning, they were transferred for investigation on charges of profit-oriented gambling and anti-money laundering, with bail set between NT$50,000 and NT$100,000.
