The Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday indicted six people in a cybersex criminal case involving an estimated 86 victims that has been compared to the “Nth Room” case in South Korea.
The suspects allegedly contravened the Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Act (兒童及少年性剝削防制條例) and the Organized Crime Prevention Act (犯罪組織犯罪條例), the office said.
In the “Nth Room” case, a person spread sexually exploitative content on the Telegram messaging app from 2018 to 2020.
Photo: Chen Chien-chih, Taipei Times
Pan Tse-wei (潘擇維), 35, and Chen Tsuo-wei (陳佐維), 37, are accused of targeting female minors on Instagram to obtain nudes or other photographs of an indecent nature by saying they could make money or were hiring models, the office said.
The minors were asked to take photographs of themselves displaying their IDs and wearing their school uniforms, which Pan and Chen used to threaten them to take indecent photos, the office said.
Chen, Pan and accomplices Chang Hui-yu (張蕙祐) and Liu You-sheng (劉郁晟), both 29, along with two other accomplices, surnamed Lee (李) and Su (蘇), uploaded the photos to a group on Telegram, where they charged people to view them, it said.
They initially sought credits for online game as payment before switching to the Tether cryptocurrency, it added.
The group made NT$8 million (US$253,735) in just under three months from the scheme, the office said.
Their actions demonstrated cruelty that violated human dignity and posed a severe threat to social order, it said.
The indictment requested that Chen, Pan and Liu be sentenced to 30 years in prison, Lee to 10 years, Chang to seven years and Su to five years, and that the court approve the confiscation of all illegal profits generated by the group’s actions.
Additional reporting by CNA
Tropical depression TD22, which was over waters south of the Ryukyu Islands, is likely to develop into a tropical storm by this morning and pose a significant threat to Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The depression is likely to strengthen into a tropical storm named Krathon as it moves south and then veers north toward waters off Taiwan’s eastern coast, CWA forecaster Hsu Chung-yi (徐仲毅) said. Given the favorable environmental conditions for its development, TD22’s intensity would reach at least typhoon levels, Hsu said. As of 2pm yesterday, the tropical depression was about 610km east-southeast of Taiwan proper’s
RESTRICTIONS: All food items imported from the five prefectures must be accompanied by radiation and origin certificates, and undergo batch-by-batch inspection The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday announced that almost all produce from five Japanese prefectures affected by the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster would now be allowed into Taiwan. The five are Fukushima, Gunma, Chiba, Ibaraki and Tochigi. The only items that would still be blocked from being imported into the nation are those that are still banned from being circulated in Japan, the FDA added. With the removal of the ban, items including mushrooms, the meat of wild birds and other wild animals, and koshiabura” (foraged vegetables) would now be permitted to enter Taiwan, along with the other
A new tropical storm is expected to form by early tomorrow morning, potentially developing into a medium-strength typhoon that is to affect Taiwan through Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration said today. There are currently two tropical systems circulating to the east of Taiwan, agency forecaster Hsu Chung-yi (徐仲毅) said. The one currently north of Guam developed into Tropical Storm Gebi this afternoon and is expected to veer toward Japan without affecting Taiwan, Hsu said. Another tropical depression is 600km from the east coast and is likely to develp into the named storm Krathon either late tonight or early tomorrow, he said. This
DIVA-READY: The city’s deadline for the repairs is one day before pop star Jody Chiang is to perform at the Taipei Dome for the city’s Double Ten National Day celebrations The Taipei City Government has asked Farglory Group (遠雄集團) to repair serious water leaks in the Taipei Dome before Friday next week, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said yesterday, following complaints that many areas at the stadium were leaking during two baseball games over the weekend. The dome on Saturday and Sunday hosted two games in tribute to CTBC Brothers’ star Chou Szu-chi (周思齊) ahead of his retirement from the CPBL. The games each attracted about 40,000 people, filling the stadium to capacity. However, amid heavy rain, many people reported water leaking on some seats, at the entrance and exit areas, and the