Taiwan man who lost both feet after soaking legs in dry ice for 10 hours sentenced to 2 years in jail - Hindustan Times
Jun 25, 2025 06:52 PM IST
A Taiwan man has been sentenced to two years in prison for trying to defraud insurance companies of $1 million. The accused, identified as Zhang (last name), was given a suspended prison sentence by the Taiwan High Court on June 20, South China Morning Post reported. Meanwhile, Liao, the mastermind behind the plan, received a six-year sentence.
The court determined “Zhang had endured immense pain from self-inflicted harm,” while Liao was named the mastermind behind everything. The incident goes back to 2023 when, in an attempt to claim insurance payouts, Zhang conspired with his former secondary school classmate Liao.
Zhang had purchased multiple insurance policies from five different companies, covering eight types of plans, including health, life, accident, long-term care, and travel insurance between 2005 and January 2023. The pair filled a bucket with dry ice, and Zhang soaked his feet in it for 10 hours.
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Two days later, Zhang sought medical attention at the accident and emergency room of Mackay Memorial Hospital, where he was diagnosed with severe frostbite below both calves, as well as bone necrosis, sepsis, and rhabdomyolysis.
However, Zhang claimed to his insurance that he had been riding a motorcycle when he caught frostbite, aiming to cash in on his health and accident coverage.
The pair made claims with each of the five insurance companies that he had policies with, seeking around $1.4m (NT$41.26 million) in payouts. One company did pay him out to the value of $8000. However, the other four didn’t. Both Zhang and Liao were arrested on fraud charges in 2024.
He bought insurance from five companies between 2005 and early 2023.
He placed his feet in a bucket of dry ice for 10 hours to ensure that he could claim insurance on the injuries he sustained.
Was Zhang jailed?
He was given a suspended jail sentence of two years while his co-conspirator Liao was imprisoned for six years.
