Darren Wang involved in illegal personal data access case; he and his girlfriend each sentenced to six months in first-instance ruling

(Taipei, 22nd) Taiwanese actor Darren Wang has been implicated in a draft evasion case involving alleged misuse of personal data, along with his girlfriend Que Muxuan and several others, including police officer Liu Juyong and intermediaries linked to organized crime.

According to prosecutors, the group unlawfully accessed personal data through connections, leading to charges including document forgery and violations of Taiwan’s Personal Data Protection Act. The New Taipei District Court delivered its first-instance verdict today at 11 a.m., sentencing both Wang and Que to six months in prison, commutable to a fine. The case remains appealable.

Reports indicate Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million to a draft evasion ring leader, Chen Zhiming, in an attempt to avoid military service. When the arrangement failed, he sought assistance through a car dealer friend, You Xiangmin, who leveraged police connections to obtain Chen’s personal data. In a separate matter, Wang also sought help to recover money his girlfriend had lost to fraud, again involving intermediaries to access another individual’s data.

During the trial, Wang denied leaking personal data, stating he only shared fragmented information in chat groups without identifying specific individuals. His legal team argued that the communications were insufficient to constitute a violation.

Que Muxuan stated she had been defrauded of NT$4 million and only intended to track the debtor’s whereabouts. She denied instructing anyone to pressure family members and said the court document she provided was merely proof of the debt.

Co-defendant You Xiangmin admitted wrongdoing but claimed he received no payment and acted only to help a friend, requesting leniency. Another defendant, Chen Zijun, also pleaded guilty.

Prosecutors identified You as a key intermediary linking police and criminal networks. Officer Liu Juyong was accused of abusing his position to access and leak personal data, including falsifying records of official queries, leading to additional charges.

The court sentenced You Xiangmin, Chen Zijun, and Chen Baijun to three months’ imprisonment (commutable to fines), while Liu Juyong received a sentence of one year and four months. Wang’s separate draft evasion case remains under trial.