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: Lee is the son of Lee Yueh-tsang (李岳蒼), a former board member of the massive Yuanta Financial Holding Co.
When news of the investigation leaked to the media, Lee went into hiding, triggering a massive 23-day manhunt. The intense media scrutiny and public pressure eventually led Lee to surrender to the Taipei District Prosecutors Office in late August 2012. The Scope of the Crimes and Legal Battles
The scandal , where the phenomenon of "Zombie Picking" (撿屍, jianshi) — removing an unconscious drunk person from a club to have sex with them — was tacitly accepted by some men. Lee's defense, that it was "normal," sparked outrage and forced a public reckoning with the concept of sexual consent.
During the investigation, thousands of the illicit images and videos were leaked online, leading to a secondary crisis of victim-blaming and privacy violations. Several media outlets and individuals were later fined or prosecuted for spreading the material. Legal Proceedings & Sentencing Taiwan Scandal Justin Lee
The legal proceedings against Lee spanned several years as prosecutors systematically built a case around dozens of individual counts of sexual assault and privacy violations. Lee initially maintained that the sexual encounters were consensual and that the women knew they were being filmed, a defense the courts thoroughly rejected based on the visible incapacitation of the victims in the footage. The judicial trajectory concluded with severe penalties:
Lee frequented high-end nightclubs in Taipei, targeting models, celebrities, and socialites.
Lee's legal battle spanned several years and multiple appeals: : Lee is the son of Lee Yueh-tsang
It's important to clarify that the "Justin Lee" in these two scandals are different people. The first, Lee Tsung-jui, is the son of a former board member of Yuanta Financial Holding Co., a major financial group. The second, Lee Tian-yi, is a former primetime news anchor for SETTV, known for hosting the award-winning program "The Fading Boundaries" (消失的國界). The following sections will cover the major scandal first, followed by the financial crime case.
Prosecutors argued that Lee systematically used party drugs, such as liquid ecstasy, to incapacitate his targets at nightclubs before bringing them back to his apartment. They presented the video evidence to prove that the victims could not give consent. The Defense
The case highlighted gaps in the legal framework regarding digital privacy, pushing lawmakers to enact stricter penalties for the distribution of non-consensual explicit imagery. The Scope of the Crimes and Legal Battles
To contrast, legitimate scandals in Taiwan’s government are swiftly reported with names, evidence, and legal actions. Recent examples include:
The Justin Lee scandal remains a seminal case in modern Taiwanese criminal history. What began as a story of a privileged "playboy" heir ended in one of the longest prison sentences for serial sexual assault in the country’s history. The case stands as a cautionary tale about the abuse of power, wealth, and the consequences of digital exploitation, while also serving as a catalyst for public discussion on victim rights and the dangers of the nightclub and celebrity-driven party scene.
Beginning in 2009, Lee drugged or used alcohol to incapacitate women—including models and celebrities—at luxury nightclubs. He then took them to his residence, where he sexually assaulted them and secretly recorded the acts.
The case highlighted the intense social stigma and "slut-shaming" faced by victims of sexual violence, particularly when high-profile figures are involved.
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