Taiwanese singer Yu Tian and his son-in-law Gary Chen (right) in a photo on social media in February 2021. Photo: Yu Yuan Chi/Facebook
Gary Chen, the son-in-law of famed Taiwanese singers Yu Tian and Li Ya-ping, has been given a suspended jail sentence for involvement with a scam syndicate.
The 37-year-old was arrested in April on suspicion of working as a chief runner for a scam syndicate.
Chen and eight others were handed charges in June by the New Taipei District Prosecutors Office, including for fraud, money laundering and involvement in organised crime.
On Nov 12, the New Taipei District Court sentenced Chen to two years in jail, with a suspended sentence of five years.
According to Taiwanese media, he received a suspended sentence as he has no prior criminal record and has compensated the scam victims.
Chen will be under probation during this period, and he has to perform 240 hours of community service and attend eight hours of lessons on legal education.
His wife is Ms Yu Yuan-chi, second daughter of Yu, 76, and Li, 74. The couple have an elder daughter and a son.
Yu Tian rose to prominence with the song Under The Banyan Tree (1977), while Li is known for her rousing rendition of the song Wake Up, Lei Meng Na (1971).
Ms Yu died of cancer at the age of 39 in August 2022. She had a daughter, who turns seven later in November, and a five-year-old son, with Chen.
The family was in the news in June when Yu Tian and Li sought guardianship of their two grandchildren after Chen’s detention.
The couple told Taiwanese media after a mediation session at the court then that they had not reached a preliminary agreement with Chen and would seek further discussion.
Li told Taiwanese news portal SET News on Nov 12 that she respected the court’s decision to hand Chen a suspended jail sentence. She added that she had visited her two grandchildren in the past fortnight. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
