A Chinese court has sentenced the anti-fraud internet personality known as "Tietou" to eight years in prison on extortion charges, according to 驱动之家. The first-instance ruling found that he worked with others to threaten targets with the release of damaging information in order to extract money, the outlet reported.
The case involves three separate charges, according to sohu.com. During the trial, Tietou offered a verbal apology to the victims, sohu.com reported.
Coverage of the verdict was carried by multiple Chinese outlets, including 驱动之家, 凤凰网, thepaper.cn, sohu.com and 紫牛新闻. 凤凰网 reported that details of the extortion scheme have been made public, while 紫牛新闻 noted that a company operating behind the influencer has since been deregistered and that lawyers have weighed in on where the line between legitimate consumer advocacy and illegal conduct lies.
