Documents from the US Attorney’s Office have shed light on the allegations against Liu Hsien-hsien (劉姍姍), director-general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) of Kansas City, who was charged in a US federal court with fraud in foreign labor contracting, partly based on testimonies given by her staffers.
Liu was arrested by the FBI on Thursday on suspicion of fraudulently obtaining a Filipino servant for her residence and was remanded in custody until a detention hearing on Wednesday.
According to a press release titled “Human trafficking rescue project” issued by the US Attorney’s Office, Liu allegedly paid the worker, named F.V. in the case, significantly less than the contractual amount and forced her to work excessive hours and perform tasks outside the terms of the contract.
Liu hired F.V., who was living in the Philippines, in November last year, and gave her an employment contract for a domestic helper at the TECO, which was then used to apply for a B-1 visa for F.V., the Attorney’s Office said.
In accordance with the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, three TECO employees were questioned by FBI agents, and two of them, presumably Taiwanese, gave statements that corroborated the allegations.
The affidavit cited cooperating witness two (CW-2), employed as a director at TECO for about one year, as saying that Liu instructed CW-2 to pay her domestic servant US$225 when “Liu knew that F.V. was supposed to be paid [US]$1,240 per month.”
“CW-2 stated that Liu also paid her prior maid before F.V. much less than she was contracted to be paid as well. CW-2 said the discrepancy was very similar to how much F.V. was being shorted on salary. CW-2 said the prior maid went into a state of depression and stopped eating. CW-2 said that the prior maid was also physically abused by Liu. CW-2 stated that Liu had cameras installed throughout the residence to monitor F.V.,” the affidavit read.
Another cooperating witness, named CW-3, who told FBI agents that his position was similar to that of an accountant, said in the affidavit that “each time F.V. got paid, she was paid [US]$225 for salary and [US]$70 for Liu’s groceries.”
“CW-3 maintained copies of these receipts and showed them to the Affiant. (The receipts clearly document F.V.’s underpayment). CW-3 stated that these payments were much less than F.V. was supposed to be paid under her contract,” it said.
The affidavit quoted CW-3 as saying that “the previous domestic worker, prior to F.V., was being paid much below her contract as well. F.V. was supposed to be getting paid [US]$1,240 per month, or [US]$620 per payment. CW-3 said that Liu took F.V.’s passport and visa away from F.V. when she first got to Kansas City.”
Under the terms of her employment contract, F.V. was to work no more than eight hours a day, 40 hours per week, and her presence was not required inside the residence except during working hours, but Liu allegedly required the victim to work six days a week, 16 to 18 hours a day, and forbade her to leave the house without permission, the affidavit said.
Beth Phillips, US Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, said in the press release that the charges contained in this complaint were simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence, it said.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney Cynthia Cordes. It was investigated by the FBI and the US Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division in conjunction with the Human Trafficking Rescue Project, the release said.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
Taiwan is planning to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based X-ray imaging to customs clearance points over the next four years to curb the smuggling of contraband, a Customs Administration official said. The official on condition of anonymity said the plan would cover meat products, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, large bundles of banknotes and certain agricultural produce. Taiwan began using AI image recognition systems in July 2021. This year, generative AI — a subset of AI which uses generative models to produce data — would be used to train AI models to produce realistic X-ray images of contraband, the official
RSS