Taipei prosecutors charge 32 in alleged fraud case involving religious group in Yilan, Taiwan

Local authorities have said that the house is not registered, and residents described the Lotus Pool’s large building as “beautiful” while saying that no one in the neighborhood knew what the group was doing there.

Lin Soo-phyun, who is described in the source as the owner and actual manager of the Lotus Pool, is reported to have worked with two others and with Lin Guong Hong. Beginning in 2022, they reportedly asked members of the IMBA direct-marketing team to be trained at the Lotus Pool Pavilion, to treat Lin Soo-phyun as a spiritual leader, to follow his instructions, to make donations, and to make other declarations about him. These claims have not been tested in court.

Xue Xi is described not simply as an accountant but as an IMBA administrator who was responsible for interviewing new members and administering their test questions. He is alleged to have used the words “knowing the money of the old” to deceive a victim out of about $700,000 in 2022, a claim the source presents as an allegation. Such alleged exploitation of a vulnerable person underscores the need for protecting the vulnerable (Proverbs 31:8-9).

According to the report, Lin Soo-phyun and Lin Guong Hong allegedly controlled IMBA members through religious means, demanding that they meet performance targets and comply with instructions. In 2021 and 2023, Lin Guong Hong reportedly directed members to hand over $118.5 million to a person identified in the source as Xie-Seong, to buy land and build a new apartment building that was later reported to have been expanded from two stories to three.

In June of last year, police reportedly searched locations linked to the group. The source states that Lin Guong Hong, who was described as a leader of the group’s women’s and men’s rallies, operated from the former Lotus Pool site on Strong Country Road. It also alleges that members were asked to delete evidence from their cell phones during the search.

The group’s new location on Yongmi Road was described by local sources as having had almost no contact with the surrounding community after the move. Residents said villagers did not attend its events and did not know what its members were doing, and suspicion of fraud became a subject of local news.

The civil affairs department of Yilan City said that Lin’s group is not registered with the city. Under the rules described in the source, registered religious organizations must report to the government on their membership, finances, and fundraising, while unregistered groups are not subject to those requirements, which makes county oversight difficult.

The Taipei District Attorney’s Office has charged 32 people in connection with the ACE fraud case with organized crime, fraud, and money laundering.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Mandarin Chinese)