A man with a criminal history and no religious credentials, identified as Zhou, managed to secure a position as a temple abbot by assuming the monastic name "Juehai." After his release from prison, he used this role to orchestrate fraudulent schemes under the guise of temple projects, job placements, and supply contracts, illegally amassing close to 600,000 yuan before being apprehended and sentenced.
Zhou, who was unemployed, had previously been imprisoned twice for fraud, in 2010 and 2017. Following his release in February 2024, he came across a short video advertising a managerial vacancy at a temple in Dantu District, Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province. He promptly contacted the temple's administrator, a man surnamed Lü, claiming to be an ordained monk with the Dharma name "Juehai" who could manage daily affairs and revitalize the temple.
In reality, Zhou had never obtained an official monk certification. To secure the job, he purchased counterfeit documents from an online marketplace. Lü, convinced by the presented credentials, appointed Zhou as the abbot and entrusted him with the temple's daily operations.
Once in his new role, Zhou wasted no time in leveraging his position to target job seekers, contractors, and business owners. A man named Liu, who was seeking stable employment, shared his aspirations with Zhou on a social app. Seizing the opportunity, Zhou claimed he could secure a government religious position for Liu. To build trust, Zhou produced fabricated employment contracts and appointment notices, repeatedly demanding money for "registration fees" and "position upgrades." Liu, initially suspicious, was swayed by the professional-looking paperwork and transferred a total of 48,500 yuan along with a gold necklace. When no job offer materialized, Liu investigated further and discovered no such recruitment existed, prompting him to report the matter to the Dantu branch of the Zhenjiang Public Security Bureau.
The police investigation revealed that Zhou had used similar tactics to defraud three other victims of over 420,000 yuan. Beyond individual scams, Zhou also targeted business owners. Falsely claiming authority as a representative of the ethnic and religious affairs department and the Buddhist Association, he asserted he managed supply procurement for 21 temples in the area. He signed a supply contract with a fruit vendor named Wang, collecting a deposit, and later requested additional "fees" for purported leadership negotiations and business expansion, defrauding Wang of more than 57,000 yuan.
In April 2025, Zhou swindled another businessman, Zhong, out of 60,000 yuan by signing a supply agreement for materials ostensibly needed for a prayer ceremony. After multiple victims reported delays in starting projects or receiving goods, they filed complaints, leading to Zhou's arrest in October 2025.
The case was transferred to the Dantu District Procuratorate for review and prosecution in March of the following year. The investigation determined that Zhou had illegally accumulated 595,200 yuan, with 422,900 yuan attributed to fraud and 172,300 yuan to contract fraud. In July, the procuratorate filed charges. The court convened on July 24, considering Zhou's status as a repeat offender and his evident malicious intent, and sentenced him to ten years in prison along with a fine of 110,000 yuan for both fraud and contract fraud. Zhou did not appeal, and the verdict is now final.