A man lost both his feet after trying to defraud insurance companies out of $1 million, using dry ice to freeze his legs for around 10 hours, and has been handed a suspended prison sentence.
The man, who has only been named as Zhang by the South China Morning Post, purchased multiple lines of insurance from five different companies across 18 years between 2005 and early 2023.
Alongside a former high school mate of his, who has only been named as Liao, the pair concocted a plan to cash in on the insurance payouts at the start of 2023.
The pair filled a bucket with dry ice, with Zhang taking the plunge and placing his feet inside. He was strapped to a chair for 10 hours to ensure that he didn’t remove his feet from the bucket and so that injuries could be caused.
Prison sentences handed out for dry ice fraudsters
As per the report, two days later, Zhang sought medical attention at Mackay Memorial Hospital in Taipei. He was diagnosed with severe frostbite, among other injuries, which caused him to have both feet amputated.
However, he 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.
The SCMP reported that, on June 20, 2025, Zhang was handed a suspended jail sentence of two years, while Liao was imprisoned for six years.
The two men were arrested in 2024, but sentenced in 2025.
The court determined “Zhang had endured immense pain from self-inflicted harm,” while Liao was named the mastermind behind everything.
Zhang had reportedly also reached settlements with several insurers, while Liao had not, hence the longer sentence.
Source link
