One of China's most high-profile social media celebrities was
sentenced to five years in prison and a fine of 50,000 yuan ($7,800) on
Thursday for running an illegal gambling den.
Guo Meimei, 24,
gained notoriety in 2011 after flaunting a extravagant lifestyle online -- complete
with luxury cars and flashy boyfriends -- all while claiming to work for a
company affiliated with the Red Cross.
In reality, Guo
was illicitly operating casinos out of private apartments in Beijing, a court
said.
Guo pleaded not guilty to that charge at the trial, although she
admitted to participating in gambling, according to China's state news agency
Xinhua.
"I
shouldn't have participated in gambling, but I don't think my actions
constituted (a) crime," she said in her final statement.
"I know I
have made mistakes, and I'm truly regretful," she added, while arguing she
deserved leniency because she lacked "legal knowledge" when the
crimes occurred.
Zhao Xiaolai,
another suspect involved in the case received a two-year sentence and a fine of
20,000 yuan ($3,125).
Guo's attorney
Wu Junqiang told state media Beijing Morning Post that Guo has not yet decided
whether to appeal.
Fall of Guo Meimei
Last August, after her arrest, Guo made
a dramatic televised confession detailing a life of illegal gambling and
paid-for sex that was splashed across Chinese front pages.
By then, her
Weibo microblog account -- which featured pictures of her riding a jet ski in a
bikini, and another posing behind the wheel of a Lamborghini -- had nearly two
million followers.
It was her
careless posts to followers that tipped off police about her illicit
activities.
Her ostentatious
photos had sparked widespread outrage about how a supposed charity worker could
sustain such a lavish lifestyle, leading to a drop off in donations to China's
Red Cross the following year, even though the organization denied any
connection with Guo.
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