A released prisoner with a criminal history of fraud and no legitimate religious credentials managed to secure a position as a temple abbot by adopting the self-styled monastic name "Juehai." He then orchestrated a series of elaborate scams, targeting job seekers and business owners through promises of temple projects, employment, and supply contracts, ultimately illegally collecting nearly 600,000 yuan before being sentenced to prison.

The individual, identified as Zhou, had been unemployed and had previously served prison sentences for fraud in both 2010 and 2017. In February 2024, shortly after his release, Zhou spotted a short video advertising a recruitment drive for management staff at a temple in Dantu District, Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province. He immediately contacted the temple's administrator, a man surnamed Lv, claiming to be an ordained monk with the monastic name "Juehai" who could manage the temple's daily operations and contribute to its growth and prosperity. In reality, Zhou had never obtained official monastic credentials, so he purchased counterfeit documents online to bolster his application.

Lv was convinced by the presented identification and certificates, and he directly appointed Zhou as the abbot, entrusting him with the temple's daily management responsibilities. Upon assuming his role, Zhou quickly began constructing fraudulent schemes using his new position, focusing his efforts on deceiving job applicants, contractors, and local merchants. A man surnamed Liu, who was seeking stable employment, shared his aspirations with Zhou through social media. Seeing an opportunity, Zhou offered to help Liu secure a position at a religious institution. To build trust, he produced forged employment contracts and offer letters, repeatedly demanding payments for "registration deposits" and "position upgrades." Liu, swayed by the professional-looking documents, transferred a total of 48,500 yuan and also gave Zhou a gold necklace. However, after waiting in vain for a start date, Liu investigated further and discovered no such recruitment process existed, prompting him to report the case to the Dantu Branch of the Zhenjiang Public Security Bureau.

The police investigation revealed that beyond defrauding Liu, Zhou had used similar tactics to swindle three other victims out of a combined total of over 420,000 yuan. He also targeted business owners, falsely claiming to represent the local religious affairs bureau and the Buddhist Association. He asserted he had exclusive authority over the supply of consumables for 21 temples in the area, signing a supply contract with a fruit merchant surnamed Wang and collecting a deposit under this pretext. He then continued to demand additional "fees" and "gratuities" under the guise of coordinating with officials for further business opportunities, accumulating over 57,000 yuan from Wang. In April 2025, Zhou contacted a man surnamed Zhong, claiming the temple needed supplies for an upcoming prayer ceremony. After signing a supply agreement, Zhou collected a deposit and payment totaling 60,000 yuan. As multiple victims began to realize they had been deceived after waiting for jobs, projects, or deliveries that never materialized, they reported the matter to authorities.

Zhou was apprehended by police in October 2025, and the case was subsequently transferred to the Dantu District Procuratorate for review and prosecution in March. The investigation found that Zhou had illegally accumulated a total of 595,200 yuan, with 422,900 yuan attributed to fraud and 172,300 yuan to contract fraud. In July, the procuratorate formally filed charges against him. On July 24, the court held a hearing and, considering Zhou's status as a repeat offender and his clear malicious intent, decided against leniency. He was sentenced to a combined ten-year prison term for fraud and contract fraud, along with a fine of 110,000 yuan. The defendant did not appeal, and the verdict is now final.