Chairman of Shiding God of Wealth Temple Indicted for Defrauding Over NT$20 Million

(Central News Agency, Reporter Tsao Ya-yen, New Taipei, 23rd) A man surnamed Tian, the chairman of the Wulu God of Wealth Temple in Shiding, New Taipei, is accused of taking temple property and land from the former chairman, a man surnamed Hsu, under the pretext of helping with temple registration. He then used fabricated reasons, such as public relations and repair fees, to defraud Hsu and others out of over NT$20 million. The New Taipei District Prosecutors Office has indicted Tian for fraud and other offenses.

According to the indictment, Hsu began building the Shiding Wulu God of Wealth Temple in 1997 and served as its chairman. Because the temple is located on hillside conservation agricultural and pastoral land, the land category had to be changed to obtain legal registration.

After meeting Hsu in 2018, Tian falsely claimed he could assist in consolidating the land and handling the temple registration. He persuaded Hsu to sign an agreement to gift the temple and land to Tian, stipulating that from 2022, Tian would have full control over the temple's activities and financial income.

Prosecutors discovered that after Tian was registered as chairman in 2019, he appointed a woman surnamed Chuang as secretary and jointly managed the temple's accounts with his son. Tian then began using violence against Hsu, hinting that he knew members of the Bamboo Union triad, and fabricated various pretexts to defraud money.

Prosecutors stated that in 2020, Tian falsely claimed the temple's "Golden Treasure Bowl" was a shoddy construction project and demanded Hsu and others pay NT$5 million for repairs. The following year, he claimed temple employees had reported tax evasion to the Investigation Bureau and needed NT$3.5 million in "PR fees" to smooth things over. In 2022, Tian claimed the temple's archway was built with cut corners and the Investigation Bureau was probing cash flows, requiring Hsu to bear a NT$3 million fee. Through these and other excuses, Tian defrauded Hsu, his family, the general manager surnamed Liao, and others of over NT$20 million in total.

Additionally, in 2022, upon learning that a follower wanted to fund a kindergarten, Tian claimed he could help apply for a permit from the New Taipei City Education Department. He convinced the follower to register him as a director of the educational company, thereby defrauding him of 10% of the company's shares. The New Taipei District Prosecutors Office recently indicted Tian for offenses including fraud and violations of the Organized Crime Prevention Act. (Editor: Hsiao Po-wen) 1150423