Li Huiwen, the main suspect in the Taichung Ponzi scheme, committed fraud and threats and drove a family of five to despair. Her appeal was rejected and her 11-year sentence was upheld.

The Ponzi scheme forced a family of five named Wang from Fengyuan, Taichung, to a desperate end. The key suspect, 45-year-old Li Huiwen, nicknamed "Captain Li," was suspected of defrauding the Wang family and other victims of more than 15 million yuan using gold investment, group buying and other tactics. She also threatened to force a debt of 5.3 million yuan. The first-instance sentence was 11 years. The prosecutor believed that the sentence was too light and appealed. The Taichung High Court today found that the first-instance sentence was not inappropriate, dismissed the appeal, and upheld the original sentence of 11 years.

According to the prosecutor's investigation, due to the failure of the group buying business and the accumulation of a large amount of debt, Li Huiwen claimed to have a large number of group buying members from 2024 to 2025, and used the excuses of gold brushing, arbitrage and tax avoidance to attract money, and deceived 12 victims including the Fengyuan Wang family into investing funds. However, she actually used the new investors' money to pay the dividends of the old investors, creating the illusion of "stable profits" and committing a typical Ponzi scheme.

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Li's daughter defrauded her of 15.365 million yuan. In June last year, the Wang family found that the investment was full of doubts and decided to cut their losses and refused to invest any more. Li's daughter actually demanded 5.3 million yuan in the name of "liquidated damages" and frequently sent threatening messages. In order to prevent the family from being harassed, the Wang family's father Under great pressure, according to Li's instructions, she mortgaged her home and borrowed 2 million yuan from a pawn shop. The subsequent debt pressure and mental torture eventually became the straw that broke the Wang family. The family of five collectively went to a dead end. The Wang family's wife even left the sad words "I will pay back the money until my death."

The prosecutor believed that she attempted to conceal the flow of funds and influence witnesses, delayed the investigation on grounds such as physical discomfort, and shifted the responsibility to the deceased victim. She was charged with violating banking laws, fraud, taking money through intimidation, money laundering, and forgery, and requested more than 15 years in prison.

Li's attitude changed drastically during her first trial in the Intermediate People's Court on January 22 this year. She pleaded guilty in court and cried, "I did something wrong." After considering the relevant crimes, she was sentenced to 11 years. The prosecutor believed that the sentence was too light and appealed. The Taichung High Court announced the verdict today. The collegial panel recognized that the sentence of the first instance was not inappropriate and upheld the original judgment of the first instance.