Taichung: A woman allegedly linked to the extortion and suicide deaths of five people in Taichung has been indicted on fraud and other charges, prosecutors said Friday. In a news release, the Taichung District Prosecutors Office announced it is seeking a prison sentence of more than 15 years for the woman, following her indictment Thursday on charges of fraud, intimidation, and violations against the Banking Act.

According to Focus Taiwan, the suspect, surnamed Lee, is accused of scamming and extorting a family of five over a one-year period, which eventually led them to commit suicide in July, as per the indictment. The events began in June 2024, when Lee was introduced to the Wang family by a 35-year-old woman surnamed Chang, a former classmate of the family's eldest daughter.

At that time, Lee was experiencing financial difficulty due to mismanagement of her group-purchase business and subsequently embarked on a fraudulent gold investment scheme, which she scammed the Wangs into joining. The family, unaware of the fraudulent nature of the deal, invested more than NT$15.36 million (US$493,146) but later became suspicious and refused to invest further.

In June of this year, Lee allegedly began sending threatening messages to the family, demanding "penalty fees" of NT$5.3 million. To manage the situation, the family mortgaged their home to borrow NT$2 million from a lender recommended by Lee, reportedly giving her NT$1.76 million in cash.

On June 4, the Wang family was found dead in their home, with suicide notes expressing deep regret about trusting a former classmate and investing in the fraudulent gold scheme. The family, residing in Taichung's Fengyuan District, wrote about being overwhelmed by debt and unable to repay what they owed.

Lee and Chang were questioned by prosecutors; Chang was placed under residency restrictions on suspicion of fraud, while Lee was released on bail of NT$150,000 and restricted from international travel. According to prosecutors, Lee has been indicted on charges of fraud, intimidation, and violations against the Banking Act, while Chang remains under investigation.