28 April 2024
Prosecutors in Taiwan have proposed lengthy prison sentences for ACE Exchange’s founder, David Pan, and former executives as main suspects in an alleged fraud and money laundering case. This development came after the Taiwanese authorities initiated a fresh round of charges against the exchange founder and several others.
ACE Exchange Defendants Face Potential Lengthy Jail Term
On Friday, April 26, the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted 32 individuals involved in an alleged money laundering and fraud scheme. Among those indicted are Pan, his business partner Lin Keng-hong, and attorney Wang Chen-huan, who served as the exchange’s chairman.
The prosecutors alleged that the defendants promoted investments in various tokens, including NFTC tokens, Bitnature coins, and MoChange – a token developed by Ace Exchange. Investigations revealed that the suspects crafted white papers and other documents to enhance the perceived legitimacy of these investments.
According to the prosecutors, the suspects advertised these tokens through various media outlets while artificially inflating their prices on their exchanges to lure investors. Investors, however, reported that they could not convert their tokens back into New Taiwan dollars as promised, prompting them to file complaints about the alleged fraud.
A local news report disclosed that the losses amounted to approximately 800 million New Taiwan dollars ($24.56 million), a significant increase from earlier estimates of 340 million NT$. These fraudulent activities led to substantial financial losses for over 1200 investors, prompting the Taiwanese prosecutors to recommend prison sentences of at least 20 years for Pan and Lin.
The prosecutors stated that approximately NT$43 million was transferred to Wang, who then invested NT$26 million back into the exchange to artificially boost the token prices. Wang, a high-ranking employee in a law firm, could face a minimum of 12 years behind bars if found guilty of assisting the scheme.
Ace Exchange’s Stance And Response
What’s more, investigations show that Pan and his partners generated at least NT$2.2 billion in revenue from the sale of tokens and other blockchain products. Prosecutors also found that they planned to hide the cash in various locations, using some funds to purchase real estate in Yilan County.
In response to these allegations, Ace Exchange stated that Pan had not been involved in the platform’s day-to-day operations since 2022, distancing itself from his alleged misconduct. The exchange also clarified that its operating conditions remained normal while being in full cooperation with the authorities.