On December 1, 2024, Taiwan artist Tiffany Ann Hsu’s husband, former chairman of Macau Dejin Group Chen Ronglian, was sentenced to 14 years in prison in the first instance last April for his alleged involvement in illegal gambling and money laundering activities with Macau casino tycoon Chao Wah Zhou (Xi Mi Hua). On November 28 this year, the Macau Court of Final Appeal reduced Chen Ronglian’s sentence to 13 years and reduced the fine from 2.4 billion Hong Kong dollars to 1.8 billion Hong Kong dollars.
According to earlier reports, Macau casino tycoon Chao Wah Zhou, nicknamed “Xi Mi Hua”, was arrested in 2021 for allegedly operating casinos in mainland China and was sentenced to 18 years in prison by the Macau court. Chen Ronglian was also arrested in January 2022 for his alleged involvement in illegal gambling operations. In December of the same year, he was convicted on 34 counts, including one count of organized crime, 24 counts of illegal gambling in licensed premises, 7 counts of significant fraud, 1 count of illegal gambling, and 1 count of aggravated money laundering, totaling a sentence of 14 years in prison with multiple charges combined, with a 10-year sentence for organized crime.
The latest judgment documents show that on November 28, 2024, the Macau Court of Final Appeal upheld the criminal sentencing of the Intermediate Court but reduced Chen Ronglian’s sentence to 13 years. The originally imposed fine of 2.4 billion Hong Kong dollars was also overturned, with a new judgment ordering the payment of 1.8 billion Hong Kong dollars in illegal gains to the Macau government.
Tiffany Ann Hsu and Chen Ronglian married in 2017 and have two children together. Their once happy family life took a tragic turn after Chen Ronglian’s legal issues, leaving many hearts saddened. It is said that Tiffany Ann Hsu was heartbroken upon learning of the judgment but found solace in the encouragement of her friends.
Since Chen Ronglian’s arrest, Tiffany Ann Hsu has remained silent and stopped updating her social media accounts. Disappearing from the public eye, she was spotted in early September this year returning with her family to her hometown in Taipei, where she was last seen attending her friend Joe Chen’s wedding. She was captured in a candid moment wearing a white dress and sneakers, squatting on the grass to take photos of the flower girl, revealing her recent whereabouts.
According to reports from “ETtoday Star Cloud,” Tiffany Ann Hsu’s best friend Summer Yao expressed to her agent, “As her friend, I really feel sorry for her. In fact, the whole situation has nothing to do with her, but despite the hardships in recent years, she has bravely raised her two children on her own.” Summer Yao also added, “As a mother and a woman, Hsu Ann is the bravest person I have ever seen. We will always stand by her side, providing support and love, and thank everyone for their concern for her.”