Taoyuan: Johanne Liou, who gained fame during the Sunflower Movement student protest in 2014, was arrested at Taoyuan International Airport after being repatriated from the United States, according to the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) on Thursday.
According to Focus Taiwan, Liou was deported by the U.S. from San Francisco International Airport on Wednesday. She was escorted by Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) alongside CIB officials from the agency's field offices in the U.S. Upon her arrival at the Taoyuan airport around 7 p.m. Thursday, Liou was transferred to the custody of the CIB, where agents handcuffed her and brought her in for questioning.
The CIB stated that Liou will be handed over to the New Taipei District Prosecutors Office for further questioning regarding her alleged crimes, which are under the jurisdiction of the office. Liou is wanted by five district prosecutors offices, including in New Taipei, for charges of embezzlement, fraud, and drug crimes associated with cocaine and marijuana.
The U.S. has also alleged that Liou, who traveled to America in 2019 with pending embezzlement charges, was involved in procuring drugs from the U.S. to be sold to individuals in Taiwan's entertainment industry. Her downfall in the U.S. began through a joint action by a CIB task force, the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, and the ERO, which led to her apprehension in a Boston hotel on January 22, 2025.
The arrest was first announced on ICE's website in early February 2025, noting that Liou was arrested for overstaying her visa amid U.S. President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigrants. ICE reported that its Boston Field Office for ERO had detained Liou as a "fugitive, criminal alien wanted for embezzlement, fraud, drug crimes in Taiwan."
Liou initially entered the U.S. legally on a temporary visitor visa in May 2019 but failed to leave by her required exit date in August of that year. Although she was supposed to be repatriated by March 2025, Liou filed several appeals in the U.S., delaying her deportation, the CIB reported.
Liou first came into the public eye during the Sunflower Movement student protest in 2014, gaining attention from Taiwanese media for her appearance and attire. Dubbed the "Sunflower Queen," her reputation suffered when media coverage alleged her involvement in a cross-border prostitution ring in 2015. Her participation in the suspected ring led to her being barred from leaving Taiwan, and she was later indicted on morality provisions of Taiwan's Criminal Code. Liou eventually pleaded guilty to two counts of brokering Taiwanese women to work as prostitutes in the U.S., receiving a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. Her legal troubles persisted, leading to her being placed on the wanted list by the New Taipei District Prosecutors Office in 2023 after failing to appear in court.