The Taichung District Court last week upheld a guilty verdict against a man who defrauded a couple by manipulating their religious beliefs.
Huang Tao-hui (黃道輝) works at an auto repair shop, as well as being a Taoist priest, the court said.
He learned that a local woman, surnamed Liu (劉), and her husband were devotees of Taoist deities Guangong (關公) and Jigong (濟公), it said.
Photo: Chang Jui-chen, Taipei Times
He told the couple that he had inside knowledge about operating an “underworld treasury” that would guarantee good fortune and wealth, the court said.
Huang’s fraudulent actions convinced Liu to hand over NT$2.1 million (US$64,034) in 14 monthly deposits of NT$150,000 starting in 2018, it said.
In 2020, he told Liu that the monthly deposit would be increased to NT$220,000, and asked for separate payments of NT$700,000 “to renovate the underworld residence for departed souls” and NT$170,000 for “safe passage in the underworld” for her dead father, the court said.
In total, Liu gave Huang NT$11 million to go into the “underworld treasury,” but instead of the good fortune and wealth she was promised, she was left in debt, it said.
Huang sought more money and threatened that demons would go after her if she did not pay, it added.
Liu gave Huang NT$260,000 in 2021, it said, adding that she asked to see the Taoist rituals that deposited the cash into the “underworld treasury,” the court said.
However, Huang refused, leading her to file a lawsuit, it said.
During the first trial, Huang told the court that Liu had loaned him the money.
Investigators said that Huang never conducted rituals linked to an “underworld treasury.”
The court found him guilty of defrauding Liu of NT$9.78 million.
Huang appealed, but was found guilty in the second ruling, with the judges saying that although the Constitution guarantees people “freedom to worship,” religion should not be used to commit fraud or other criminal acts.
“Religious practitioners must not take advantage of people who are stressed or anxious, suppress their logical thinking or obtain money or assets that exceed social norms,” they said.
“Such actions can be deemed to be fraud, as stipulated in the Criminal Code,” the judges said.
“While the underworld treasury concept does exist in Taoism to mitigate bad luck, reduce punishments for wrongdoing, accumulate good fortune and accrue wealth, payments are typically a few hundred New Taiwan dollars and the rituals are only performed on major festivals, fewer than 10 days each year,” they said.
“Huang demanding NT$150,000 or more per month was at odds with Taoist traditions,” they said. “He manipulated the victim’s weakness and her fervent beliefs, meaning his actions qualify as fraud.”
The second ruling handed Huang a reduced 18-month suspended prison term, citing his admission of guilt and willingness to give NT$3.2 million back to Liu, of which he had already paid NT$1.5 million.
The court also seized NT$2.2 million and ordered Huang to serve 120 hours of community service.
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