Shanghai Woman Jailed for Defrauding Relatives of $1.6 Million Through Fake Wedding Scheme

The elaborate con involved a staged marriage with a man posing as a wealthy real estate developer to deceive family members into investing in non-existent discounted properties.

• Meng, a 40-year-old Shanghai woman, staged a fake wedding with a hitchhiked driver, Jiang, who posed as a wealthy real estate businessman.
• The scheme began after Meng's real estate business failed in 2014, prompting her to exploit her relatives' trust to recover financially.
• Meng falsely claimed she and Jiang could secure properties at significantly discounted rates, convincing at least five relatives to invest large sums.
• To maintain the illusion, Meng rented apartments for her relatives and presented them as the properties they had purchased.
• The fraud unraveled when a suspicious relative contacted a property developer, leading to Meng's 12.5-year prison sentence, along with jail terms for Jiang and a cousin who aided the deception.

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