Pro-China gangster 'White Wolf' snared in Taipei for ill-gotten gains

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- Former gang leader and current head of the Chinese Unity Promotion Party (CUPP, 統促黨) Chang An-le (張安樂), aka the "White Wolf" and five other members of his party were indicted on Tuesday (Aug. 13) on multiple charges and are under investigation for even more crimes.

On Tuesday, Chang was indicted by Taipei prosecutors for taking illicit political contributions, forging documents, embezzlement, and tax evasion, reported Liberty Times. He is also under investigation for receiving funding from China and being again involved in organized crime.

In addition, the Taipei District Prosecutor's Office charged Chang's son, Chang Wei (張瑋), with document forgery, embezzlement, false capital verification, and falsifying financial statements, according to the report. Chang's wife, Wang Shu-yin (王姝茵), was charged with accepting political donations without setting up a specific bank account to store the funds.

Former CUPP Chairman Lee Hsin-yi (李新一) was also charged with accepting political donations of NT$2.1 million (US$67,000) when the party was founded in 2006, without setting up a specific bank account to store the funds, reported CNA. Current CUPP Chairman Chang Fu-tang (張馥堂) has been charged with forgery for failing to accurately report the party's financial records.

CUPP member Chang Chen-su (張陳淑) has also been charged with accepting political donations without setting up a proper bank account and forging documents. All told, Chang and his party accomplices have been charged with making tens of millions in ill-gotten gains in violation of the Political Donations Act (政治獻金法), the Business Entity Accounting Act (商業會計法), the Banking Act (銀行法), and the Company Act (公司法).

In an example of the many crimes Chang is being charged with, he, his son, and wife operated a travel agency from 2014 to 2016 in which they allegedly misappropriated NT$13.9 million for themselves, reported TVBS. They allegedly reserved the company's property exclusively for personal use and are charged with false capital verification, violating the Company Act, the Business Entity Accounting Act, and making civil servants publish false information.

A separate investigation into Chang's receiving of illicit funds from China and his involvement in organized crime is also ongoing. Among the questionable funds Chang mysteriously received from China was NT$10 million in cash, which he disbursed in the form of 1,000 red envelopes stuffed with NT$10,000 cash each that he handed out to people after the 2018 Hualien Earthquake, according to local media reports.