Former cop found to be behind extortion schemes

Investigators said Chung Ying-yu, 45, of Taoyuan, recruited teenagers, most of them high school dropouts, for his extortion scheme. His mobster partner was identified as Wang Cheng-wei, 35, also of Taoyuan.

A badger game is an extortion scheme in which a woman places a man in a compromising position and then victimizes him by demanding money when her male accomplice, pretending to be an outraged husband or relative, enters and threatens violence or scandal.

Chung’s extortion ring would first look for possible victims, mostly aging public functionaries about to retire or rich farmer-turned landowners.

Once a mark was found, Chung would get a girl for the victim for a one-night stand. While they were about to go to bed, Chung would appear, posing as an indignant father. He threatened to go to the police to report seduction of a minor.

Thus intimidated, the victim would be forced to pay somewhere between NT$1.5 million and NT$2 million.

There of course would be haggling. The sum to “cover up the family shame” would come down to NT$100,000. The victim would get off the hook, if he paid.

Those who didn’t have that much cash with them would be required to meet “friends” of Chung’s, who would make them loans. The borrowers had to pay at least 10 percent a month in interest, police investigators said.

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