A woman and her accomplices in China have been sentenced to jail for orchestrating a fraudulent marriage scheme to scam the husband. According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the crime involved setting up a trap to accuse the husband of visiting a prostitute. If the man was detained for doing so, the woman could file a divorce and would not be required to return the bride price – a wedding tradition in China which involves the groom giving the bride a price exceeding 100,000 yuan.
The case took place in Longli County, Guizhou Province, China. According to SCMP, the woman, identified as Xiong, and her boyfriend Li were in debt at the beginning of this year and sought help from two men they met online. The men claimed that could help the couple secure loans, however, during a meeting in person, they suggested a fraudulent scheme.
The men said that a groom in the region usually offers a bride price of more than 100,000 yuan ($13,700). If the groom were caught visiting a prostitute, he would lose this amount, and the bride could then divorce him without needing to return the money.
“I was afraid and I did not dare to join their scheme,” Ms Xiong told the court. “But they kept on persuading me that I can divorce smoothly and I do not need to return the money. My boyfriend also asked me not to panic. So I agreed to follow their plan,” she added.
The woman then met another man, identified as Bao, at a matchmaking agency and days later, they registered their marriage at a civil affairs authority in the county. The groom reportedly gave Ms Xiong 136,666 yuan as the bride price. He also spent another 48,000 yuan on jewellery for her. They held a wedding ceremony in Mr Bao’s hometown in eastern Jiangsu province.
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The fraudulent scheme, however, unravelled when Mr Bao met Mr Li at a dinner. Mr Li, posing as Ms Xiong’s cousin, attempted to coax Mr Bao into visiting a prostitute. But Mr Bao, already wary of the situation, called the police. The cops then quickly intervened, preventing the scam from succeeding.
The court sentenced Ms Xiong, Mr Li and the two other men to jail for fraud. Their sentences ranged from three years to three years and 10 months. They were also ordered to pay compensation to Mr Bao, with amounts ranging between 20,000 and 30,000 yuan each.
Another man employed at the matchmaking agency was also arrested for participating in the racket because he introduced Mr Bao to Ms Xiong and fabricated her personal information. The court has yet to decide his fate.
